The term "medieval China" is not known so well when compared with Western Europe, because in the history of the country there was no clear division into eras as such. Conventionally, it is considered that it began in the third century BC with the reign of the Qin dynasty and lasted more than two thousand years until the end of the Qing dynasty.
The Kingdom of Qin, which was a small state located in the northwest of the country, annexed the territories of several kingdoms on the southern and western borders, pursuing clear political goals aimed at consolidating power. In 221 BC, the country was unified, previously consisting of many scattered feudal estates and referred to in historiography as "ancient China". History since that time has taken a different path - the development of a new united Chinese world.
Qin was the most culturally advanced among the Warring States and the strongest militarily. Ying Zheng, known as the first emperorQin Shi Huang, was able to unite China and turn it into the first centralized state with the capital Xianyang (near the modern city of Xiyan), ending the era of the Warring States, which lasted several centuries. The name that the emperor took for himself was consonant with the name of one of the main and very important characters in mythological and national history - Huangdi or the Yellow Emperor. Having thus formalized his title, Ying Zheng raised his prestige to a high level. “We are the First Emperor, and our heirs will be known as the Second Emperor, the Third Emperor, and so on through an endless succession of generations,” he announced majestically. Medieval China in historiography is commonly called the "imperial era".
During his reign, Qin Shi Huang continued to expand the empire in
east and south, eventually reaching the borders of Vietnam. The vast empire was divided into thirty-six juns (military regions), which were jointly ruled by civil governors and military commanders who controlled each other. This system served as the model for all dynastic governments in China until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
The first emperor not only unified medieval China. He reformed Chinese writing, establishing its new form as the official writing system (many historians consider this the most important reform of all), standardized the system of weights and measures throughout the state. This was an important condition for strengthening the internal trade of the united kingdoms,each of which had its own standards.
During the reign of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), many philosophical schools, whose teachings to some extent contradicted the imperial ideology, were outlawed. In 213 BC, all works containing such thoughts, including those of Confucius, were burned, with the exception of copies that were kept in the imperial library. Many researchers agree with the statement that it was during the reign of the Qin dynasty that the name of the empire appeared - China.
Sights of that period are known all over the world. During the archaeological excavations at the burial site of the first Chinese emperor (not far from Xi'an), begun in 1974, more than six thousand terracotta figures (warriors, horses) were discovered. They represented a vast army that guarded the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. The Terracotta Army has become one of the greatest and most exciting archaeological discoveries in China. Historical records described the emperor's burial as a micro version of his empire, with constellations painted on the ceiling, flowing rivers made of mercury. Qin Shi Huang is credited with building the Great Wall of China. During the Qin era, several defensive walls were built on the northern border.
Medieval China began to decline with the expansion of the European opium trade, which destabilized society and eventually led to the Opium Wars (1840-1842; 1856-1860).
