170 likes | 344 Views
Qin Dynasty. Unification of China 221 BCE to 202 BCE. The Qin. 221 BCE- Qin emperor takes the name Shi Huang Di- emperor of all China. He rules from 246 BCE to 207 BCE. He put a stop to internal battles that were occurring as the earlier Zhou dynasty was winding down.
E N D
Qin Dynasty Unification of China 221 BCE to 202 BCE
The Qin • 221 BCE- Qin emperor takes the name Shi Huang Di- emperor of all China. • He rules from 246 BCE to 207 BCE. • He put a stop to internal battles that were occurring as the earlier Zhou dynasty was winding down. • He also repels invaders. Eventually, he doubles the size of China, and it is all under one rule.
Shi Huang Di’s Rule • He pursues a policy of “strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches”. • He forced noble families to live in the imperial city where the royal palace was;he seizes the land of royalty. This impacts about 120,000 families. • He divides China into 36 administrative districts. This districts are ruled by administrators loyal to Shi Huang Di.
Legalism • Shi Huang Di believes in a philosophy called Legalism. He is NOT a Confucian. • Legalism in three bullet points: -A highly efficient and powerful government is the key to social order. -Punishments are useful to maintain social order. -Thinkers and their ideas should be strictly controlled by the government.
Shi Huang Di’s Centralization of Power • Huang Di had hundreds of Confucian scholars murdered. • He orders the burning of “useless” books; these were books of Confucian philosophy and poems, many critical of Legalism. .
More Centralization • He builds a highway system of 4000 miles so that all of China is connected. • He stadardizeswriting, law, currency, weights and measures. • He increased irrigation.
Not the most Popular Guy in the Room • Despite good things, he imposed big taxes and was harsh towards critics. • Don’t forget there was the murder of the Confucians… and the book burning. • He forced the poor to work on a big wall that would span the western edge of China-would later be known as “The Great Wall”.
Terracotta ARmy • Like the Assyrians, no one is that sad to see Shi Huang Di go. • As a parting gift, Shi Huang Di had a terracotta army built to protect him in the afterlife. Terracotta is a type of clay used in pottery. • The army was found in four pits. It is estimated to contain 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses.
Army Continued • The soldiers are life sized. They were manufactured by local artisans and laborers in an assembly line fashion by order of Shi Huang Di. • The faces on the soldiers were individualized. • The soldiers also had various types of weapons like crossbows.