The Kingdom of Qin in the history of ancient China took a special place. His prince, having conquered the neighbors who were mired in civil strife, created a single state. This commander was a Qin wang named Ying Zheng, who became known as the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
From van to emperor
In the IV century BC. e. The problem of the political unification of the ancient Chinese kingdoms occupied the minds of the progressive thinkers of that era, when objective prerequisites were gradually created for the creation of a single country, at the head of which would sit the Chinese emperor.
Unification was dictated by the logic of the political situation that prevailed in the V-III centuries BC. e. The desire to eliminate the independence of neighboring kingdoms and absorb their territory led at that time to the fact that in place of many dozens of large and small hereditary possessions, there remained "seven strongest": Chu, Qi, Zhao, Han, Wei, Yan and Qin. The rulers of almost all of them cherished plans for the complete defeat of their rivals. They hoped that the first dynasty of Chinese emperors would be founded by them.
Rivals in the struggle for unification made extensive use of the tactics of alliances with distant kingdoms. The "vertical" union of the kingdoms of Chu and Zhao is known, directed against the "horizontal union" of Qin and Qi. Chu was initially successful, but Qin had the final say.
- in 228 B. C. e. Zhao fell under the blows of the Qin troops;
- in 225 - the kingdom of Wei;
- in 223 Chu was conquered;
- one year later - Yan;
- Qi was the last to surrender (221 BC).
As a result, Ying Zheng became emperor, who received the symbolic name of Qin Shi Huang (the name of the Chinese emperor is translated as "The First Emperor of Qin").
Merge prerequisites
The most important prerequisite for the destruction of the former political borders between the kingdoms was the development of stable economic ties. A vivid picture of the strengthening of trade relations between them was painted in the III century BC. e. Xunzi, who emphasized the important role of economic ties to meet the natural needs of people in those products that are not produced in their places of residence.
Also at this time there was a partial spontaneous unification of the payment coin. In the V-III centuries BC. e. on the territory of the Central China Plain and adjacent regions, large economic regions are gradually taking shape, the boundaries of which do not coincide with the political boundaries of the kingdoms. Commoners, merchants and the nobility understood that further development required a “single” Chinese emperor who would erase internal political borders for the sake ofeconomy.
Formation of a single ethnic group
Another fundamental reason for unification under the rule of Qin Shi Huang was the common ethnic and cultural space that had practically formed by that time. There was a consolidation of the ancient Chinese, despite the borders of the Middle Kingdoms that separated them.
The formation of a single cultural stereotype of the population, the stabilization of ideas about its commonality, the development of the ethnic self-awareness of the ancient Chinese not only paved the way for future unification, but also made it a top priority.
Qin Shi Huang's reforms
The defeat of the six kingdoms, as well as the subsequent unification of the territories, were only a timid step in the formation of the state. More important were the unpopular but necessary reforms initiated by the Chinese Emperor Qin. They were aimed at eliminating the consequences of long-term economic and political fragmentation.
Decisively breaking down the barriers that prevented the establishment of regular communications between all the districts of the empire, Qin Shi Huang destroyed the walls that separated some of the warring kingdoms. Only buildings along the vast northern borders were preserved, completed in the missing places and united into one Great Wall.
Also, Shi Huangdi paid great attention to the construction of main roads that connected the then capital of Xianyang with the periphery. One of the most grandiose construction activities of this kind was the laying of the Directa road connecting the environs of Xianyang with the center of Jiuyuan County (more than 1400 km long).
Administrative reforms
These reforms were preceded by a fierce struggle of opinions about how to organize the administration of the newly annexed territories, what principle should be the basis of the administrative system of the empire. Advisor Wang Guan insisted that, according to a tradition dating back to the Zhou period, the outlying lands of the country should be given into hereditary possession of the emperor's relatives.
Li Si resolutely opposed this, proposing a fundamentally different project of state structure. The Chinese emperor accepted Li Si's proposals. The territory of the Celestial Empire was divided into 36 districts, each of which consisted of counties (xian). The districts were headed by governors appointed directly by the emperor.
By the way, the very idea of creating districts in the newly annexed territories - administrative units of central subordination - arose at the end of the 5th century BC. e. The essence of Qin Shi Huang's reform was expressed in the fact that he extended the system of districts throughout the entire territory of his empire. The borders of the new formations did not coincide with the territory of the former kingdoms of the Zhangguo period and did not correspond to natural geographical boundaries that could contribute to the isolation of certain regions of the country.
Culture and legislation
Other important measures to strengthen the centralized power of the emperor also include:
- introduction of unified legislation;
- unification of weights and measures;
- reform of the monetary system;
- introduction of a single script.
The reforms of Qin Shi Huang significantly contributed to the strengthening of both the cultural and economic community of the population of the empire. “The lands between the four seas were united,” Sima Qian wrote on this occasion, “the outposts were opened, the bans on the use of mountains and lakes were relaxed. Therefore, rich merchants were able to travel freely throughout the Middle Kingdom, and there was no such place where goods for exchange would not penetrate.”
Slavery and terror
However, the first emperor was not a model of virtue. On the contrary, many historians consider him a tyrant. For example, he actually encouraged the trade in slaves, not only prisoners captured in military campaigns, but also residents of China proper. The state itself enslaved the population en masse for debts or for crimes committed, and then sold them to the slave owners. Prisons also turned into slave markets. The most severe terror was established in the country, according to one suspicion of dissatisfaction with the activities of the emperor, the entire surrounding population was exterminated. Despite this, crime increased: there were frequent cases of kidnapping in order to sell them into slavery.
Persecution of dissidents
The Chinese Emperor Shi Huangdi severely repressed Confucians who preached traditional human values, principles of morality and civic duty, asceticism. Many ofthey were executed or sent to hard labor, and all their books were burned and henceforth banned.
What's next?
In the work of the historian Sima Qian Shiji (in the "Historical Notes") it is mentioned that the emperor died in 210 during a trip to China. The death of the sovereign overtook suddenly. His younger son, who inherited the throne, ascended the throne when internal social contradictions in the country became much more acute. Ershihuan at first tried to continue the most important activities of his father, emphasizing in every possible way the continuity of his policy. To this end, he issued a decree that the unification of weights and measures, undertaken by Qin Shihuang, remains in force. However, popular unrest, skillfully used by the nobility, led to the fact that the first dynasty of Chinese Qin emperors left the historical arena.
The collapse of the empire
The unpopular decisions of Qin Shi Huang caused protests in various social strata. Many assassination attempts were made on him, and immediately after his death, a widespread uprising of the masses began, which destroyed his dynasty. The rebels did not even spare the giant tomb of the emperor, which was looted and partially burned.
As a result of the uprising, Liu Bang (206-195 BC) came to power, the founder of a new dynasty of emperors - the Han, who had previously been just the headman of a small village. He took a number of measures to fight corruption and reduce the influence of the oligarchy. So, merchants and usurers, as well as their relatives, were forbidden to occupy statepositions. Merchants were taxed with increased taxes, rules were introduced for the rich. Local self-government, abolished by Qin Shi Huang, was restored in the villages.
Dynasties of Chinese Emperors
- The Xia era (2100-1600 BC) is a semi-mythical dynasty whose existence is described in legends, but there are no real evidential archaeological finds.
- The Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC) is the first documented dynasty.
- The Zhou era (1027-256 BC), is divided into 3 periods: Western Zhou, Chunqiu and Zhangguo.
- Qin (221-206 BC) - the first imperial dynasty.
- Han (202 BC - 220 AD) - a dynasty founded by a village headman after a popular uprising.
- The era of the Northern and Southern dynasties (220-589) - for several centuries, a whole series of rulers and their dynasties have changed: Wei, Jin, Qi, Zhou - northern; Su, Qi, Liang, Chen are southern.
- Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-906) - the heyday of science, culture, construction, military affairs, diplomacy.
- The Five Dynasties period (906-960) is a troubled time.
- Sung (960-1270) - restoration of centralized power, weakening of military power.
- Yuan (1271-1368) - the reign of the conquering Mongols.
- Ming (1368-1644) - Founded by a wandering monk who led a rebellion against the Mongols. Characterized by the development of commodity economy.
- Qing (1644-1911) - founded by the Manchus, who took advantage of the confusion in the country caused by peasant uprisings and the overthrow of the last Ming emperor.
Conclusion
Qin Shi Huang is one of the most famous historical figures in ancient Chinese history. His name is associated with the hero of the fairy tale by H. H. Andersen "The Nightingale and the Chinese Emperor." The founder of the Qin dynasty can be put on a par with the names of Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Lenin - personalities who shook society to its foundations, radically changed the life of not only their native state, but also many neighbors.
