| A universal guide for China studiesChinese History - Qin Dynasty 秦朝 (221-206 BC) |
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Qin Dynasty |  period before (Zhou)-- Postlude: Chu-Han next period (Han)  | |
| Map and Geography | ||
 |  Like the Zhou Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty's homelands were in the far west, between nomadic tribes, giving it probably more warfare energy than the people of the states in the Yellow River basin. One king of Qin is said to have died an injury sustained during a contest in lifting a bronze vessel. The Empire of Qin as a Modern StateThe victory over the many warring states was not only due to the military superiority of the Qin armies but was acheived by many reforms of the state itself. The great legist reformer of the Qin dukedom was Lord Shang Yang 商君鞅 (d. 338 BC) who served as an advisor and as chancellor to Duke Xiao 秦孝公. Under his guidance, the capital was moved to Xianyang, and the country was divided in counties (xian 縣), administered by a magistrate (ling 令). Thus, the feudal system of an almost independent local aristocracy was given up in favour of of a centralized bureaucracy. The officers, high and low, were punished and rewarded according to their conduct. Shang Yang revised the tax system (taxation in kind instead of labour services) and made it possible to everyone to buy and to sell land. Peasantry and army became the centers of social politics. The more peasants worked the land, the richer the country and the stronger the army (in which the peasants had to serve). At least theoretically, a group responsibility of the population was introduced. Last but not least, weights and measures, coins and the track width of the roads were all standardized.A line of mighty chancellors kept on the reforms of Shang Yang to strenghten the state of Qin. The most important men of the last period before the unification are the former merchant Lü Buwei 呂不韋, said to have been the real father of the First Emperor and chancellor for a few years, the chancellor Li Si and the legist theoretician Han Fei 韓非. Overcoming the Warring States The incentive of the Qin rulers may just have been to strenghten their own state, not to unify the whole territory of China under their own rule. Only the course of events made it possible to a military superior Qin to subdue the warring states one by one. The first military step was the seizure of the two states of Shu 蜀 and Ba 巴 in the Sichuan basin. this base, it was possible to have a second flank to attack Chu, the stongest enemy of Qin. In 230 BC, Qin destroyed Hann 韓, 228 Zhao 趙, 225 Wei 魏, 223 Chu 楚, 222 Yan 燕 and finally Qi 齊 in 221. The domain of the powerless Zhou kings already had fallen to Qin in 256. | |
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