1. Imperial China
The Beginning

2. Prince Zheng unites China
In 246 B.C., a boy king named Ying Zheng took the throne in the Qin province of Asia (Qin is pronounced Chin…this is where China gets its name). He defeated the other provinces of Asia, through battles, to unite them into one empire in 221 B.C.

3. The Qin Dynasty
To rule his new, vast empire, the emperor put in a strict government - and he established a standardized writing system, weights and measures, and oversaw the construction of what became the Great Wall.

4. The Great Wall from space

5. Qin continued
He was so strict, that during his reign he had many scholars who disagreed with him put to death and had any books that challenged his authority burned. Eventually, the people rebelled and a civil war ended the dynasty around 207 B.C., just 15 years after it had begun.

6. The end of the Qin dynasty
The emperor died, and was buried. In 1974 his burial site was discovered by farmers. He was found in a large burial area with over 600 clay statues of soldiers and horses to keep him company.

7. Terra Cotta Soldiers

8. The Han Dynasty takes over
In 206 the Han province took over power from the Qin province. They used many of the governmental ideas used by the Qin, but did it better and created the first long-term dynasty/empire in China. It lasted over 400 years, from 206 B.C. to 220 C.E.