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Achievements of the Qin Dynasty
THE QIN DYNASTY
The Qin came to power in 221 B.C.E and lasted until 207 B.C.E., a dynasty that is recorded to be the shortest in China's
history, in part because its rulers were attempting to create an empire in a short period of time, at the expense of its
peasants and slaves, and created tensions that lead to the dynasty's downfall. They were one of the western states that
existed during the Warring States Period. They conquered the other Warring States, unifying China for the first time.
Their leader named himself the First Emperor, or Shi huangdi, thus beginning the tradition of having emperors for rulers.
The Qin, while not the most culturally advanced, were militarily powerful. They utilized many new technologies in
warfare, especially cavalry. The Qin are sometimes called the Ch'in, which is probably where the name China originated.
Nobody had known the significance of the Qin until the late 20th Century (1974), with the spectacular archeological
discovery of a life size army of 7500 terracotta military figures, guarding the tomb of Shi huangdi (the First Emperor).
There is an assumption that the terracotta army replaced the real military figures that had been buried with its rulers.
The terracotta soldiers were fitted with real weapons, chariots, pottery horses
The achievements of the Qin are numerous. They standardized the language and writing of China, This was necessary for
nobility to communicate across the country; administrators had to be able to read the writing of the commands to which
they were sent. Also, currency became standardized as a circular copper coin with a square hole in the middle. Weights
and Measurements were also made uniform, especially for transportation purposes.
Moreover, The Qin established several public works projects. The Great Wall was built in the north, to protect against
invasions. From the capital, A 500 mile highway called Straight Road, and the building of several imperial roadways
covering over 4200 miles in length were completed. To ship grain and other foodstuffs from the mountains to the West
River, a 3-mile wide canal covering 1250 miles was dug and to this day, the canal is still utilized.
Taken from: http://www.dynastiesofasia.com/asian-history-references/qin-dynasty-period-in-chinese-history.htm