Download China Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty
and the Great Wall of China
6.35 Explain how Shi Huangdi united China
and constructed the Great Wall
During the Period of
Warring States, one of the
states was Qin.
The ruler of the Qin sent a
large cavalry to defeat
the other states and end
the Zhou Dynasty.
The Qin came into control
of China.
The Qin ruler declared
himself Shi Huangdi, which
means “first emperor.”
How did Qin change China?
Took direct control of
China’s provinces
Appointed governors
loyal to him
Unified China
Appointed censors to
make sure government
workers did their job
Emperor Qin (Shihuangdi)
Ruled with absolute
control
Used swift, harsh
punishments
Created a currency
Simplified Chinese writing
Ordered construction of
his own tomb
Built a canal connecting
the Chang Jiang to city of
Guangzhou
Qin Dynasty
This dynasty lasted only 15 years
One of the most famous dynasties
Qin was the first man to control all of China
He was a legalist which meant that he believed
that people were basically bad and must be
controlled
He developed a spy system; spies were well
rewarded
He had great, absolute power
Changes during the Qin Dynasty
Started construction of the
the Great Wall
Took land away from the
nobles to weaken their
power
Burned books if they were
not useful (based on his
opinion!)
Scholars who refused to
burn their books were
burned alive
More changes
He gave peasants one of two
jobs: grow food or harvest silk
Put people to building bridges,
roads, canals
Created a law code and
enforcement group
Created a system of
standardization of weights and
measures, money, laws, and
written language
Qin
Did not believe he was cruel
His systems saved millions of lives
from flood and famine and war
He felt he was an outstanding
ruler
He planned for his son to take
over, but farmers and aristocrats
revolted which led to the Han
dynasty
The Great Wall of China
Qin wanted to keep his
empire safe from invasion.
Nomads, called the
Xiongnu, lived in the Gobi
Desert.
The Xiongnu were skilled
warriors who fought on
horseback and attacked
Chinese settlements.
Qin wanted to have the
existing walls joined and
strengthened.
Construction of the Wall
Qin forced hundreds of
thousands of farmers to
leave their fields and work
on the wall.
The wall used stone, sand,
and rubble.
The wall was 2,600 miles
long and took 10 years to
build.
So many people died
building it that it is called
the world’s largest
cemetery.
Let’s think….
How would you describe
Qin as a ruler?
What was Qin’s goal for
China?
What was the purpose of
the Great Wall?
Compare Qin and
Confucius-what did they
believe about people?
The End of Qin Rule
221 BC- Qin boasted that his dynasty would
rule China forever!
210 BC- The dynasty ended soon after Qin’s
death:
People revolted against Qin’s harsh rule.
Fighting erupted throughout China.
206 BC- The Qin dynasty was over, and a new
dynasty arose.
Video
http://www.history.com/videos/the-great-wallof-china
#history-of-the-great-wallYou tube: Discovering
China-The Qin
Dynasty-China’s First Dynasty