The Quin Unify China
Chapter 6, Lesson 2
By: Rachel Sanders, Nicole Sechelski, Macee Sperling, Christian Hieden, Morgan H.
Essential Questions
- How can different philosophies influence a culture?
- What factors can help a dynasty stay in power?
How did Qin Shihuangdi unify the Chinese world?
The Quin Dynasty
The Quin Dynasty was formed in 221 B.C. and was ruled by Qin Shihuangdi meaning "the first Qin Emperor. He came to throne at the age 13 and the year 246 B.C. Qin Shihuangdi created a single monetary system. This system was run by builders that put roads throughout the entire empire. The roads lead out from the capital city Xianyang. Qin Shihuangdi divided land amongst the peasants to reduce power from the aristocrats. The peasants were also taxed by the state eliminating rivals while gaining tax revenues for the central government.
The Emperoer's Army
In 1974 farmers digging a well about 35 miles east of Xi'an discovered a underground pit near the bueial mound of the first Qin Emperoer.
Archaeologist estimate that there are more than 6,000 figures in the first pit alone, along with horses, wooden chariots an 7,000 bronze weapons. Clay armies were built, slightly larger than a life size man. Each soilder were designed to look alike in the body but uniquely in the face.
What was that extent and purpose of the Great Wall in China?
The Great Wall
The Great Wall was to keep out the northerns and protect their live stock, and servered as architectural of the Quin Dynasty. The wall required the efforts of thousands of laborers. Many died while working on the wall, according to legend, are now buried within the wall.
The great wall of China that we know today wasn't built until 1,500 years after Qin's rule.
What were the politics of the qin dynasty and why did the dynasty fall?
Politics of The Qin Dynasty
The Qin dynasty dramatically changed the political face of classical China when it adopted legalism as the offical ideology of the regime. Any one who didn't agree was executed or punished. Unlike the Zhou dynasty the Qin dynasty ruled a highly centralized state. The three divisions that the bureaucracy was divided into
- The civil division
- The military division
- The censorate
The emporeror died in 210 b.c. and his dynasty was overthrown four years later. The fall of the Qin dynasty was followed by a period of civil war, but it did not last long. A new dynasty soon arose, the Han.