1. Qin Dynasty
B.C
Zhao Zheng became king at age 13 in 246 B.C and declared of age in 236 B.C. of the Qin State during the Warring States Period
Shi Huangdi (First Sovereign Emperor) was the title he gave himself after he had conquered the other states and unified China- bringing an end to the Warring States Period

2. Unified and Protected
Shi Huangdi not only crushed internal resistance, they eliminated outside threats as well- Conquered north of the Yellow River, and as far as south as Vietnam doubling China’s size

3. Centralization of Powers
“Strengthen the trunk and weaken the branches”
Brought all the noble families together in one city
Took control of their lands and divided it up into 36 districts, each with an appointed Qin official in charge
Shi Huangdi was a legalist and eschewed all things Confucian
-laws = order -social order & harmony
-Rewards and punishment -5 basic relationships
-absolute power -education & bureaucracy
Ordered anyone who spoke against him killed- 100’s of Confucian scholars, burned Confucian books, poems etc.

5. Centralization cont.
-built a highway network of 4000 miles to ease transportation/communication -uniform standards for written lang., currency, laws, and weights and measures (axle lengths!) -irrigation projects increased agricultural production

6. Pros and Cons
Ease of travel Forced peasant labor More wealth and growing merchant class increased taxes Wall protecting them from invaders Forced peasant labor for months at a time

7. Fall of the Qin
Shi Huangdi dies, has elaborate tomb built for him. World Heritage Sites- Webpage on Tomb Shi Huangdi's tomb (3 min video) His son only lasts 3 years before rebellion breaks out and the Han Dynasty begins But China is named after his legacy