Qin+Shi+Huangdi

Qin Shi Huangdi

Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor of Qin China and the founder of the Qin Dynasty. He was a brutal ruler, but he was very smart. He realized that China's weakness was that it was not centralized. He developed the legalist philosophy, which believes that all humans are inherently evil and need to be disciplined and controlled. He worked hard to get rid of all regional power by ordering nobles to leave their regions. He organized China into large provinces. Each province was ruled by a bureaucrat that he appointed. Shi Huangdi worked hard to make sure that China would remain centralized, and that the bureaucrats he appointed stay loyal to him. Shi Huangdi extended Chinese territory into the south. To protect the northern part of China, Shi Huangdi build the Great Wall of China. This is considered the largest construction project in history. Shi Huangdi was responsible for the very elaborate terra-cotta army. Shi Huangdi also conducted a national census which helped him calculate taxes and labor services. Under Shi Huangdi, the government standardized weights and measures and improved on agriculture. Shi Huangdi attacked formal culture and was known for his burning of books. This made him very unpopular and would eventually lead to peasant revolts after his death resulting in the establishment of the Han Dynasty.

Sources http://www.sguardi.info/EN/ShowArticle/arid_71/getImagefad2.php?img=613

Unit 2 Terms Created by: Danielle Fishman September 21, 2008 Edited By: Anna Mack on September 21, 2008 Edited By Christina Oelsner 9-23-08 Edited by Kelly Herring (September 23, 2008)