China's Unification By Zheng Dynasty

The first emperor of China, Shi Huangdi was a man of no mercy, however as unpardonable as his reign was, it is impossible to ignore how successful he was in gaining power. The sheer size of China alone is a true measure of his strategist potential, and his ability to unify what was once seven separate states proved that Shi Huangdi was also a man of smart manipulation. He started great construction projects such as the Great Canal of China to name just one. Shi Huangdi also standardized measurements, money, and language. Without Shi Huangdi, China would not have been unified, and possibly not even as successful as nation as it is today.

Before 221 BC, China was separated into different states, and there was great conflict between them. This was the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC) Qin Shi Huangdi, then known as Ying Zheng, was made ruler of the Qin district, and made many great changes to society. He created a fair military system, built one of the worlds most iconic national structures, and unified the warring states that would come to be known as China. Qin was a highly regarded leader, and changed China for the better.

    Emperor Gaozu unified China by doing many things.  He conquered regions near the Tang, expanding the Dynasty.  He also implemented rules put in place by Emperor Wen of Sui that were replaced when Emperor Yang came to power.  Under his ruling, a new coin was minted and trade was promoted. (Totally History)

Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, was an ambitious emperor who implemented a central bureaucratic system that oversaw the evolution and unification of China at the cost of public sentiment. The Qin Dynasty is considered to be among the most influential dynasties as it laid the foundation for the massive cultural and economic development of China that took place during the Han Dynasty, but it also failed to achieve many of its pro-commoner ideological goals. In fact, socioeconomic disparity was not alleviated and despite the notion of enriching the lives of the common people, it was under Qin rule in which public resentment of the authoritarian government peaked as there were countless peasant revolts against the iron-handed bureaucratic rule of the Qin. Because a paranoid emperor alone wielded political clout and influence, the tumultuous few years of Qin reign was rife with paranoia and suspicion among the masses. Although the Qin Dynasty is seldom thought to possess the same glaring discrepancy between ideology and state that the Communist regime in post-World War II China had, the failure of the flawless egalitarian state models in socioeconomic and political aspects during the Qin Dynasty mirrored the developments in early Communist China.

I. In the Classical period, China’s early empire was created on behalf of developed agricultural systems, better control over the country, and fending off invasions from the north. The rise and fall of the Zhou, Han and Qin dynasty has provided the foundation for the growing country of China. These dynasties has contributed agressively to China’s accomplishments. Such as, the Great Wall of China during the Qin Dynasty, expansion of Chinese Territory during many of the dynasties, and overcoming the invasions from the Nomads from the north, the huns.

I have been fortunate enough through my travels to have trans versed the Great Wall of China, which was constructed by Qin Shihuang in order to unify the six states, he ordered General Meng Tian to connect the existing walls and to extend them further as a front line defense against possible invasion, it was an exhilarating experience, the piece of the wall I started to ascend, it was extremely steep with four levels, the configuration of the wall was unusual, in the design of the steps, they were built in a non–uniform format. The steps ranged in various sizes, from approximately 4” to what seemed like 12”, so in turn , it made the climb very uncomfortable, it also showed me that I was defiantly out of shape, but I did eventually make it to the second level, and looking over the mountain terrain, and along the hillside where it was built, I had a rush of adrenaline and realized that the Wall of China, was every bit as exhilarating to me today, as the day it was constructed. This engineering, of the Qin dynasty was truly an amazing feat. I will examine some key elements, while comparing the Qin, and Han dynasties, to The Roman Empire. Both cultures had implemented an impressive, society by introducing engineering wonders, an extensive political system that managed vast amounts of people, and a military to rule over their territories.

Countless labors were conscripted to guard the border and build the fortification walls to secure defenses; he extorted excessive taxes and levies to construct monuments or the Epang Palace and his mausoleum. In his years of his unification and reign in China, Qin Shi Huang left quite a number of historical sites, such as the Old Capital Xianyang, Lishan Xanadu, and Langyatai Stone Inscriptions in Mount Tai, where later generations pay respect and extol the historical giant in the following thousand years. Soon people revolted against his reign and the first unified feudal empire went to perdition after many years. Qin Shi Huangdi was strong emperor but he had many enemies. Nomadic tribes to the north had been a threat to China since then and thousands of ruling families who had been overthrown when the Qin came to power also opposed Shi Huangdi's rule (The Unification of China. http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-173_t-472_c-1713/nsw/history/ancient-societies-china/ancient-china-part-ii/an-event-the-unification-of-china). When he died in 210 B.C. during one of his frequent tours of inspection, he was succeeded by his son but he was not able to control the rivalry among his father's chief aides. The

In 211 BCE, another ruler was thinking the same thing about himself. Shi Huangdi looks at the field of peasants laboring away. He liberated all of China, started the production of the Great Wall of China, reformed the political system, and put down any opposition dared to show its head. He smiles to himself, remembering his claim that his

In 221 BC, emperor Qin Shi Huang began the unification of China which was also known as the period of the Qin Dynasty. He ended 500 years of political fragmentation and warfare. In order to establish such a great empire, Qin Shi Huang did plenty in order to keep organized and have his empire run smoothly. He created reforms in areas such as government, economy, and construction. Qin Shi Huang had to assure a stable government was in order for his empire to function properly. A key component to the unification of China also derived from its economy. The creation of a common currency system benefitted China into running smoother as well. Lastly, Qin Shi Huang made improvements to the foundations of construction in China by adding the Great Wall of China. Although not all of his changes went well as he anticipated, Emperor Qin Shi Huang was able to keep his empire for fourteen years with these improvements he made.

The Han dynasty was a golden era for China. It saw the greatest land confiscation of the nation’s history and economic success. In this paper I will be focusing on the structure of the national government, the monopolizing of iron and salt, the Yumen Pass and the Yellow Turban rebellion. Join me as we take a trip back in time to visit a time in Chinas history that is highly revered.

The Qin and the Han are two equally important dynasties that greatly expanded in their reign, although both the Qin and the Han had its own ideas on expansion. In fifteen years, the Qin Dynasty united the seven warring states. Emperor Qin’s rule resulted in the isolation of China from foreigners and brought upon strict rules and the removal of freedom. Under Emperor Qin’s rule, any action people took which angered the ruler could result in harsh punishment. Consequently, people were unhappy and often suffered from poverty. On the other hand, The Han dynasty lasted 426 years and managed to conquer more land, which gradually expanded and formed what China now is today. While isolation from the outside world was still present

The Qin and Han dynasties changed many things regarding how China was governed. An example would be standardizing the units of measurement, currency, and the width of roads which Qin Shi Huang did to ease trade within his country, his choices strengthened the unity between areas under his command. Another change is the Han dynasty’s usage of education. Han rulers permit all boys to receive an education to a certain extent, however, if they wanted to further their education more; they would have to travel to the capital. One of the several changes Qin Shi Huang changed how dictators controlled China in many ways how he distributed his land and power. Chinese rulers used many of the changes implemented by Qin Shi Huang for over 2000 years. The Qin dynasty drew inspiration from the Zhou dynasty, however, they improved the Zhou methods

The unification of China was under the dynasties Qin and Han. There were formed schools of thought called Confucians, Daoists, and Legalists. These school of thoughts worked to bring political and social stability to China during the rule of the late Zhou dynasty which were chaotic years. Legalist principles and imposed centralized imperial rule were adopted by rulers of the Qin and Han dynasties. Political stability was the foundation of economic prosperity for the Han dynasty. There was a search of political and social order, unification of China, and a transition from economic prosperity to social disorder.

Before the Qin Dynasty, China was composed of a network of city states that were loyal to the Chinese king. The seven Warring States had their own institutions that were run by aristocrats. The Qin Dynasty took initiative to expand their territory and to unite the Chinese empire together. Through their ruthless military techniques the Qin Dynasty was able to conquer the city states in China. The Qin Dynasty ruled from 221 BCE – 206 BCE; during their regime, Emperor Qin’s primary goal was to unify the Chinese people. Even though the Qin Dynasty was a short-lived empire, it played a major role in unifying the Chinese empire and provided a foundation for succeeding regimes through a centralized government, standardized systems, and through infrastructure.

China’s unity of its civilians helped the prosperity of its nation to become well known to other power nation. At this period China became well known and believed to be as equally strong to other power nations. Sterling extensively explains that building The Great Wall of China came at an immeasurable cost for a "temporary advantage" (147). Many citizens of China have died for the cause of building a national symbol for China, which was not known as The Great Wall of China until foreigners gave it a name to remember. Only during the Ming dynasty did the interconnections of the walls that once divided China, became a unity. The expansion of many walls together came at a great cost. The Great Wall of China made it very difficult for the Mongols and Manchus to penetrate their defensive system, but this did not stop them from failing to attack the dynasty. The perceived barbarians had bankrupt the dynasty. Strategies of keeping enemies from infiltrating is a vital key to keep an economy from chaos and destroying a nation’s wealth that took years or centuries to achieve.