Download Qin Dynasty (221 – 207 B.C.) Qin inherited the territory and

Qin Dynasty (221 – 207 B.C.)
Qin inherited the territory and traditions of Zhou in the Wei River area. Politically the state of Qin
did not become significant before the time of King Mu Gong (r. 659 – 621BC), who was
responsible for making Qin the main power in the west of China. Qin attempted to gain a foothold
in the central heartland of the Yellow River area, but was blocked by Jin. It then set out to
conquer and absorb many non-Chinese tribes and states scattered within, west and below the big
loop of the Yellow River, also moving southwards and east into Hubei province. Because of its
occupation of relatively remote western regions, Qin was regarded by other Chinese states as
somewhat foreign and backward.
By the end of the Warring States period there were seven main contenders for supreme power in
China, challenging the Zhou’s mandate to rule. They were Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu and Qi,
which Qin destroyed in 232, 228, 226, 225, 223 and 221BC respectively. Thus in the period
between 256 and 221BC Qin succeeded in ousting all its rivals, while at the same time reforming
its own government institutions. The rulers of Qin espoused the political theories known as
Legalism, a philosophy that established the role of the ruler as paramount. Shang Yan (d.
338BC), chief minister of Qin and a foremost exponent of Legalism, instituted a radical reform
programme, creating systems of collective responsibility for groups of five and ten families,
proclaiming new ranks based upon achievements in war, and setting up new administrative
districts. Shang Yang and Han Fei (c. 280 – 233BC) also developed what is now regarded as a
Qin School of Law (or Legalism) evidence of which was found inscribed on bamboo slips
excavated from tomb 11 in the Shuihudi area, Xiaogan district of Yunmeng prefecture, central
Hubei province, dating to to c.217BC. (Bamboo and wooden slips were the forerunner of paper
which was being made, from hemp fibre, from the second or first century BC.)
Although the Qin dynasty was short-lived it was crucial to the formation of China as a unified and
homogeneous state. (It also gave China its name in European languages, Qin being pronounced
‘chin’.) Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, together with his very capable chancellor, Li Si,
consolidated his power by centralising the administration as had already been done within Qin’s
own state boundaries. Qin Shi Huangdi standardised scripts, weights, measures and coins
throughout the empire. Road networks were established and a number of walls unified, thus
forming the first ‘Great Wall’ which served to keep out the marauding nomads. This wall
eventually extended from the Zhili Gulf westwards across present-day Inner Mongolia to the edge
of Tibet through the Yellow River valley. A complex of fortified walls, garrison stations and signal
towers was built. The emperor also conscripted hundreds of thousands of workers to work on
various building projects, including the famous E-Pang palace in the capital and replicas of the
palaces of the various states which he had conquered. He was buried in a huge tomb complex
that included the excavated ancillary pits 1 to 3 where the impressive underground pottery army
was discovered.
From The British Museum of Chinese Art Ed. J Rawson