Download China`s First Emperor

The Ruler And The Legend China's First Emperor By Dagmar Lorenz, Wiesbaden DE, © MoneyMuseum
China's First Emperor He was a prisoner's son and a small states' king. By subjugating the states of fragmented ancient China
he founded a new empire. In spite of the fact, that the reign of his dynasty would endure no longer than
15 years, the rule of the First Emperor turned out to have a huge impact on Chinese history. His legacy
does not only include his impressive graveside guarded by an entire army made of terra-cotta but also
the specific structure of Chinese bureaucracy. And last but not least the First Emperor shaped the
cultural identity of China.
Prince or bastard? Born in 259 BC, the future emperor of China was the son of a prisoner. Being an illegitimate prince of
the king of Qin, his father Zhuang Xiang lived as hostage at the royal court of Zhao. At the time called
the Warring States period (475–221 BC), the territory of future China was divided into several states
competing for hegemony. People led an insecure life threatened by violence and persecution.
Nevertheless the very same era breeded new ideas promoted by rambling scholars. Philosophical
concepts like confucianism, daoism and so-called legalism (a kind of macchiavellistic state theory)
exerted influence on the rulers of the different states. Due to the influence of legalistic ideas, the state of
Qin obtained an efficient administration system which improved the competitive position of Qin.
After the death of the king of Qin, Zhuang Xiang returned – accompanied by his wife, who had
previously been the concubine of the wealthy merchant Lü Buwei, and by his little son Zheng, the
future emperor. Rumors were aflout, that Lü Buwei really was the father of Zheng. Anyway, the
merchant arranged for Zhuang Xiang to ascend the throne of Qin. But Zhuang soon died leaving his 13year-old son to become his successor. Zheng's mother and Lü Buwei assumed regency. But only a few
years later, the young king deprived both of them of power by forcing Lü Buwei to commit suicide.
Having consolidated his position, the new king of Qin started conquering the "warring states" – one by
one.
The conqueror The remaining states vanished between 230 and 220 BC. In 221 BC the empire was unified. Meantime
aged 38, the ruler of Qin was no longer content to be named king. Relating to the divine emperors of
legendary origin, he gave himself the title "Huangdi" (august godlike emperor). Since then he is known
as "Qin Shi Huangdi," meaning "First Emperor of Qin."
The centralized governance of the vast empire afforded the building of a new administrative structure.
Qin Shi Huangdi abolished feudalism and divided his territory into 36 (later on: 48) administrative
districts. Currency was coined according to standardized design. A standardized system of weights and
measurements helped to enhance the efficieny of production, transportation and construction. In order to
prevent northern nomadic tribes from invading the empire, he issued the first continuous sections of the
Great Wall to be erected.
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His standardization of the written language also had an enormous impact on Chinese culture: The "seal
script" became a common written language and – later on – an official script (lishu) was developed.
Under the rule of the First Emperor an extensive network of roads, canals and irrigation systems was
developed to provide the capital Xianyang with food as well as to accelerate military forces to revolting
provinces.
The tyrant Thousands of men were forced to work on the ambitious projects of the First Emperor. A harsh penalty
system, the deportation of numerous families and their relocation under compulsion enabled the
imperial administration to recruit workers over and over again. While the brutal policies roused the
resentment of the population, the emperor piled on the pressure. In particular the confucianist scholars
suffered under the rule of Qin Shi Huangdi. As their philosophical ideas did not comply with the
legalistic doctrine of indistinctive obedience to the rules of the emperor, the confucianists were
considered as subversive elements. 400 of them were executed and rumors abounded of numerous
confucianists buried alive in the Great Wall. Being suspicious of all intellectuals, the emperor issued to
burn all books up – with the exception of some miscellanies on natural sciences. As for his own person
Qin Shi Huangdi was afraid of assassins. Observing utmost secrecy he constantly moved from one
residence to another. Superstitiously and in fear of death he gathered magicians and put them in charge
of searching for the elixir of immortality.
Death and eternal life The First Emperor died in 210 BC. As soon as his youngest son acceded succession to the throne,
revolts against him erupted. In 202 BC. Liu Bang, leader of the rebels, appointed himself emperor of the
new founded Han dynasty. Rejecting legalism, the Han emperors declared confucianism as new states
doctrine. Nevertheless they kept the basic structures of Qin Shi Huangdi's administration intact. Thus
the First Emperor lived on – even after the breakdown of the Chinese empire in 1911. After 1949 the
different factions of the Communist Party in mainland China utilized Qin Shi Huangdi as topic in their
power struggles. Attending internal party meetings Mao Zedong used to intimidate his rivals by alluding
to the "clampdown" of the First Emperor. At times he identified himself with Qin Shi Huangdi and his
mistrust refering to the intellectuals.
In nowadays China the historical legend of the First Emperor is still alive. His stardom is promoted by
the Communist Party. Concerned about the people's discontent due to the emerging social problems the
officials appreciate Qin Shi Huangdi as the grand unifier of the Chinese empire. His cruel tyranny is
justified as an inevitable procedure for the purpose of unification. So the state-run TV-station, CCTV,
presents historical dramas or serials relating to the First Emperor. Movies like The Emperor and the
Assassin (1999) by the well-known director Chen Kaige as well as Zhang Yimou's Hero (2002) tell
stories of assassination attempts: stories which end in justifying the rule of Qin Shi Huangdi. According
to the mainstream opinion, the suffering of the individual must be accepted for the sake of the country's
unity. However, more and more Chinese of today are striving for their individual well-being by
neglecting abstract ideas of unity. Anyway, we are anxious to await a younger generation to discuss the
life and the legend of the First Emperor in future.
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