Ankush's Asian Studies Blog: Qin Dynasty

Dates of Power: The Qin Dynasty rose to power after the Zhou Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty lasted between 221 BC and 206 BC. The area occupied covered the whole of north-eastern China and almost the whole of south-eastern China. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty).

This is the map of the Qin Dynasty.
(http://homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlangill/HIS%20217%20maps/Qin%20dynasty%20map.JPG).

Reason for Take-Over: The main reason for the take-over of the Qin Dynasty was the strength of there army, but first it was the fall of the Zhou Dynasty that led to the Qin Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty’s most powerful emperor died and caused the royal line to break. The nobles lost hope in their fast changing emperors and declared themselves as the king. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Dynasty#Decline).

During the downfall of the Zhou Dynasty, the Warring States Period was going on, in which the Qin proved to be the strongest Dynasty, conquering every other warring state. It was later in 223 BC that Qin Shi Huangdi, king of Qin, unified China and became the next Emperor of China. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_Period).

These are the warring states that fought each other during the Warring States Period.

(http://sacu.org/WarringStates.png)

Leaders of this Civilization: Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor that decided to run his state as an aristocratic system. He was the most well known leader out of the three other emperors, but not as popular amongst his people. (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_china/qin.html). Qin Shi Huangdi ruled from 221 BC to 210 BC. The second emperor was Huhai, Qin Shi’s youngest son. He ruled till the October of 207 BC. The third emperor was Ziying, son of Fusu (Qin Shi’s first son), after Huhai was forced to commit suicide. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty).

This is Emperor Qin Shi Hunagdi.
(http://www.arqueologos.org/IMG/jpg/Qin_Shi_Huangdi.jpg)

Another Civilization: During the reign of the Qin Dynasty, another civilization was ruling outside China. King Philip V took over the throne in 221 BC, at the age of 17. He ruled from 221 BC to 179 BC. His first war was The Social War, fought between 220 BC and 217 BC. King Philip V fought his second war between 217 BC to 206 BC. This war was called the First Macedonian War. Although, King Philip ruled for a lot longer, at 206 BC the Qin Dynasty fell apart.

(http://en.wiki.org/wiki/Philip_V_of_Macedon)

King Philip V

(http://www.ambientece.arti.beniculturali.it/guida_reggia/immagini/1120a.jpg)

Accomplishments: There were huge amounts of successes, which brought great wealth and increased the economy of China, during the Qin Dynasty. Most of the accomplishments were recorded under the rule of Emperor Qin Shi. Qin Shi Huangdi introduced the philosophy of legalism for the first time in China. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty). “Legalism means the act of following all laws.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalism_%28philosophy%29). Emperor Qin separated the entire area of Qin into 36 territories and each territory had a civil governor, a military commander and an imperial inspector. He also allowed private landowning. The Qin Dynasty created the Monetary System, which standardized the writing, language, and currency of China in order to communicate and trade throughout the country. Coins made of circular copper with a square hole in the middle. Measurements were also made stable and so was the length of the axle. The length of the axle had to be changed to prevent long, deep tracks. Emperor Qin concentrated on feeding his nation and so on farming was improved. (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_china/qin.html). He also set up a rule that stated that all men between the ages of 17 and 60 years old had to serve the army for at least one year. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty). Many architectural accomplishments were met. One huge example would be the, 4,856 kilometer long, Great Wall of China, which was started to prevent invaders from entering and also to unite the entire country. Emperor Qin also built an enormous, royal palace for himself. One positive thing he did for his nation was that he imposed laws and taxes for everyone. Another accomplishment came after the death of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. The people of Qin built an entire, 6,000 life-size men, army out of clay. These soldiers were known as the Terra Cotta army, which were designed to protect the Emperor’s tomb. (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_china/qin.html).

These are the copper coins used for trade.
(http://www.travelchinaguide.com/images/photogallery/volunteer/currency%201v000655tm.jpg)

This is the Great Wall of China.
(http://www.chinareview.com/images/attractions-great-wall.jpg)

This is the Terracotta Army, located in the Emperor Qin's tomb.
(http://www.wayfaring.info/images/Qin_Terra_Cotta_Warriors.jpg)

Reason for Fall: Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi proved to be the best emperor during the Qin Dynasty because the other two emperors lasted only four years. Although, Emperor Qin was good, he did a huge mistake by burning books, which angered the peasants. Emperor Qin died due to mercury poisoning and soon after the whole of China went into a rage. There were also a lot of deaths during building the Great Wall of China. There were rebellions against the second and third emperor and soon after the Han Dynasty took over. (http://library.thinkquest.org/12255/library/dynasty/qin.html).