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Chinese History - Qin Dynasty 秦朝 (221-206 BC)

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Qin Dynasty
government and administration

period before (Zhou)
-- Postlude: Chu-Han
next period (Han)
Map and Geography

Ying Zheng, the King of Qin, assumed for the first time the title of August Emperor, Huangdi 皇帝. The whole empire was divided into commanderies (jun 郡), administered by a civil governor (shou 守), a military commander (wei 尉) and an imperial inspector (jianyushi 監御史). The commanderies were divided in counties (xian 縣), administered by a magistrate (ling 令). The writing system, especially the shape of characters, was reformed and resulted in the so-called Small Seal Script (xiaozhuanti 小篆體). The administrative and penal code (lüling 律令) was spread throughout the country, and standards (fadu 法度) like weights, measures and currency should be used in the whole empire. Highways were built (like the Roman viae), and general Meng Tian 蒙恬 had the order to build the Great Wall (Changcheng 長城) to repell the nomadic Xiongnu 匈奴 tribes. The First Emperor moved thousands of families to his capital, build himself the great imperial Ebang-Palace (not: Afang!) 阿房宮 and let himself be buried in a gigantic tomb with a terracotta army to protect him. During his reign, the emperor spent much time to inspect the empire (xunxing 巡行) and climbed Mount Taishan 泰山 to perform the old Fengshan 封禪 sacrifice to Heaven and Earth.

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e propositions for gardening, horse breeding, and the breeding ofsilkworms.
The eunuch Cai Lun 蔡倫 is said to have invented the paper, made mulberrybark and other ingredients.
Han Dynasty artisans made great contributions to the development of a sophisticatedculture: smithery (decorated mirrors, lamps, burners), spinning, weaving,lacquerware, earthenware. Of the architecture, nothing is left but the wonderfulburial offerings in the tombs of the Han rulers and officials, mostly earthenwarehouses, towers, farms and their inhabitants and their kettle.
To govern the empire, courier routes throughout China were built, and waterwaysfaciliated the transport of grains and taxation objects. Along the northernfrontier, fortification walls were built. The  opening of China to Eurasia'swest along the silkroad enabled the exchange of cultural products and technologicalinventions.
The state academy (taixue 太學) was installed to produce intelligentand well-educated scholars for state service. Graduates of the academy engagedin many fields of science and technology - theoretical like mathematics (bookJiuzhang Suanshu 九章算術) and musical temperation, and practical,like medicine (book Huangdi Neijing 黃帝内經 about clinical medicine andacupuncture; and Zhang Zhongjing's 張仲景 Shanghanlun 傷寒論 about febrilediseases), pharmakology (book Shennong Bencaojing 神農本草經) and astronomy.Much more than before, criticians like Wang Chong 王充 (book Lunheng 論衡)tried to develop a worldview based on natural science.

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