1. The Emperor’s Clay Army
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2. Objectives
Place in proper order sequence the events that helped to build the Chinese empire
Describe the government it developed

3. After the Shang Dynasty eventually came to an end around 1100 B.C.
For many years afterward the Huang River valley was a place of conflict and turmoil

4. The Qin A Qin general took control of the Huang River delta
Eventually, he conquered all of northern China
The Qin general declared himself emperor (“supreme ruler”)

5. Shihaungdi This Qin general (now emperor) called himself “Shihaungdi”
Translates to “first grand emperor”
Boasted that the Qin dynasty would last for 10,000 generations

6. How did the Qin win control?
Geography played a part in their victory
The original Qin region was protected by the Qinling Mountains on one side and the Huang River on the other

7. Think: How would you describe Shihaungdi’s character?

8. Shihuangdi’s Government
Shihuangdi split the empire into provinces
Let farmers own land (weakened the power of the nobles)
He forced many nobles to move to the capital city, Xianyang (shee AHN yang)
There he took away their bronze weapons

9. Think: Who are “nobles?” Why would Shihuangdi keep them under strict control?

10. Other ideas by Shihuangdi
Set up a single system of writing throughout the empire
Created a single system of money to be used throughout the empire
Holes in the coins allowed people to keep their money on a string
These changes were strictly enforced by emperor’s soldiers

11. Qin Farmers
Under Shihuangdi’s leadership, the empire was unified and strong
The empire became rich from farmer’s taxes
Farmers were required to build the highways that linked the cities of the empire
They were also called upon to strengthen and connect walls along the empire’s northern border
Farmers were the backbone of the Qin empire!

12. Building the Emperor’s Tomb
Emperor wanted his tomb to be a spectacular mirror of the real world
Clay soldiers were carefully constructed and stood guard
To keep out robbers, crossbows were set up that would shoot arrows
The treasure-filled tomb was laid out like a giant map of the empire

13. Think About It
How did farmers help to make Shihuangdi’s empire strong?
What qualities might have been admired in the first emperor? What qualities were probably feared?
How was Shihuangdi able to gain control over China?