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Qin Dynasty
World History/Napp
“In the third century B.C., the Qin Dynasty replaced the Zhou Dynasty. It emerged from
the western state of Qin. The ruler who founded the Qin Dynasty employed Legalist ideas
to subdue the warring states and unify his country.
In 221 B.C., after ruling for over 20 years, the Qin ruler assumed the name Shi Huangdi,
which means ‘First Emperor.’ The new emperor had begun his reign by halting the
internal battles that had sapped China’s strength. Next he turned his attention to defeating
invaders and crushing resistance within China to his rule. Shi Huangdi’s armies attacked
the invaders north of the Huang He and south as far as what is now Vietnam. His victories
doubled China’s size. Shi Huangdi was determined to unify China.
Shi Huangdi acted decisively to crush political opposition at home. To destroy the power
of rival warlords, he introduced a policy called ‘strengthening the trunk and weakening the
branches.’ He commanded all the noble families to live in the capital city under his
suspicious gaze. This policy, according to tradition, uprooted 120,000 noble families.
Seizing their land, the emperor carved China into 36 administrative districts. He sent Qin
officials to control them. To prevent criticism, Shi Huangdi and his prime minister, the
Legalist philosopher Li Su, murdered hundreds of Confucian scholars. They also ordered
‘useless’ books burned. These books were the works of Confucian thinkers and poets who
disagreed with the Legalists. Practical books about medicine and farming, however, were
spared. Through measures such as these, Shi Huangdi established an autocracy – a
government that has unlimited power and uses it in an arbitrary manner.” ~ World History
1- What dynasty replaced the Zhou Dynasty?
2- What ideas did the ruler of the Qin Dynasty employ?
3- What does “Shi Huangdi” mean and who was Shi Huangdi?
4- Why did Shi Huangdi halt internal battles and crush resistance to his rule?
5- How did Shi Huangdi double China’s size?
6- What did Shi Huangdi command all noble families to do?
7- How was Shi Huangdi’s policy regarding noble families a weakening of the branches but
a strengthening of the trunk?
8- Why did Shi Huangdi and Li Su murder hundreds of Confucian scholars?
9- What books were considered useless and burned?
10- What books were spared from burning?
11- Why was Shi Huangdi’s government an autocracy?
An Interesting Note:
Although a tyrant, Shi Huangdi is considered the founder of unified China. The word Qin
is the origin of China.
- Why is China named for the Qin dynasty?
Centralization
- Shi Huangdi’s sweeping program of
centralization included the building of a
highway network of more than 4,000 miles
The Great Wall
- Scholars hated Shi Huangdi for his book
burning
- Poor people hated him because they were
- Also, he set the same standards throughout forced to work on the building of a huge
China for writing, law, currency, and
defensive wall
weights and measures – even down to the
length of cart axles
- Earlier, Zhou rulers had erected smaller
walls to discourage attacks by northern
- This last standard made sure that all
nomads
vehicles could fit into the ruts of China’s
main roads
- Shi Huangdi determined to close the gaps
and extend the wall almost the length of the
- Under Shi Huangdi’s rule, irrigation
empire’s border
projects increased farm production
- Enemies would have to gallop halfway to
- Trade blossomed, thanks to the new road
Tibet to get around it
system
- The Great Wall of China arose on the
- Despite these social advances, harsh taxes
backs of hundreds of thousands of peasants
and repressive government made the Qin
regime unpopular
- Many of the laborers worked on the wall
and died, victims of the crushing labor or
the harsh winter weather
Questions:
- What were the positive and negative effects of Shi Huangdi’s rule?
- How did Shi Huangdi centralize and unify China?
- Why did scholars hate Shi Huangdi?
- Why did poor people hate Shi Huangdi?
- Why do some historians call the Great Wall of China – “the longest cemetery on earth”?
- Why was the Great Wall of China built?
- What blossomed as a result of Shi Huangdi’s road construction?
“The Qin Dynasty lasted only a short time. Though fully as cruel as his father, Shi
Huangdi’s son proved less able. Peasants rebelled just three years after the second Qin
emperor took office. One of their leaders, a peasant from the land of Han, marched his
troops into the capital city. By 202 B.C., the harsh Qin Dynasty gave way to the Han
Dynasty, one of the longest in Chinese history.” ~ World History
- Why did the Qin Dynasty collapse?
- What rivers flowed through the Qin Dynasty?
- Where was the Great Wall of China located?
- What countries were China’s neighbors?
- Identify important cities in Qin China.
“From the Yellow Sea in the east to the Gobi Desert in the west, the Great Wall twisted like
a dragon’s tail for thousands of miles. Watch towers rose every 200 to 300 yards along the
wall. In the time of Shi Huangdi, hundreds of thousands of peasants collected, hauled, and
dumped millions of tons of stone, dirt, and rubble to fill the core of the Great Wall. Slabs
of cut stone on the outside of the wall enclosed a heap of pebbles and rubble on the inside.
Each section of the wall rose to a height of 20 to 25 feet.” ~ World History
In China, the building of the Great Wall and
the use of the tribute system are examples of
attempts by different dynasties to limit
(1) foreign influence
(2) the spread of Confucianism
(3) Chinese peasant rebellions
(4) natural disasters
(5) cooperation within China
The Qin ruler who destroyed rival armies,
burned books, and built a magnificent tomb
filled with clay soldiers was named
(1) Shi Huangdi
(2) Confucius
(3) Hanfeizi
(4) Wudi
(5) Laozi
The rule of Shi Huangdi, legalism, and the
tomb of terra cotta soldiers are most closely
associated with the
(1) Maurya Empire
(2) Qin dynasty
(3) Persian Empire
(4) Hellenistic culture
Base your answer to the question on the
quotation below and on your knowledge of
social studies.
“By nature men are pretty much alike; it is
learning and practice that set them apart.”
~ Confucius (K’ung-fu-tzu)
This statement suggests that significant
human differences in the world are mostly
due to differences in
(1) physical appearance
(2) inherited characteristics
(3) emotions
(4) culture
In ancient China, one effect on government
of the teachings of Confucius (K’ung-fu-tzu)
was the high status of
(1) soldiers
(2) merchants
(3) farmers
(4) scholars
“…If from now on the King starts by rising
early and going to bed late, and if the
ministers take oaths among themselves to
cut out the evils of parties and merriment,
be diligent in cultivating frugality and
virtue, do not allow private considerations
from taking root in their minds, and do not
use artifice as a method of operation in
government affairs, then the officials and
common people will all cleanse and purify
their minds and be in great accord with his
will….”
~ Yi Hang-no, Korean Royal Adviser
Which Confucian principle is reflected in
this statement?
(1) The ruler must set an example for the
people.
(2) Respect for elders is the foundation of
civilization.
(3) Virtue increases with education.
(4) Compassion and sympathy for others is
important.