The Qin Dynasty

 The Rise of the Qin 

• In 403 BCE seven major states remained from the 170 states of the previous period. 
• Their locations played a key role in their survival. 
• Six of the states were clustered around the Yellow River. 
• The Qin and the Chu were not surrounded by the other states. 
• They were able to expand; in this way they drew unto themselves large populations. 
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• Qin did not enter the feudal system of the Zhou as a state. 
• It was not until the reign of Duke Xiang (r.777-766BCE). 
• This was seven years after most of the other established states. 
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• The Qin was culturally different from the other central states. 
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• They were less civilized, more barbaric in their approach to activities like human sacrifice.
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• Duke Xiao (r.361-336 BCE) had ambitions: strengthen the state and expand it.
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• For this reason he welcomed advisers from other states. 
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• It was then that the Legalist reformer Shang Yang arrived in Qin. 
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• He showed up with ideas that would change the course of history. 
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• The Conquest 
• In 256 Qin conquered the state of Zhou. 
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• From 230-220 BCE the Qin destroyed or annexed the remaining kingdoms. 
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• Han fell in 230 BCE 
• Zhao fell in 228 BCE 
• Wei fell in 225 BCE 
• Chu fell in 223 BCE 
• Yan fell in 222 BCE 
• Qi fell in 221 BCE 
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• The Qin would begin to rule "all under Heaven." 
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• No previous title was enough to describe the scope of the new ruler's power; so, a new title was devised: "emperor" (huangdi). 
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• Results of the Conquest 
• 1. independent states were replaced by centrally administered units (commanderies) 
• 2. the hereditary aristocracy was replaced by appointed bureaucrats. 
• 3. an ideological shift took place - the state was predicated on warfare and agriculture. 
• 4. massive public works were undertaken to build up defences. 
• 5. peasants were resettled to work in previously uncultivated lands.
• 6. extension of their borders came about due to military conquests.
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• Reasons for their Success
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• 1. it possessed natural defences by mountains and the Yellow River 
• 2. it created irrigation systems and canals to support agriculture. 
• 3. Qin kings lived long and were competent - hence they were able to maintain stability. 
• 4. it valued military skills and ruthlessness. 
• 5. their outsider status made them more open to innovations. 
• 6. they made use of talent from other states. 

• Discontent 
• A year after putting in new laws, there appeared complaints. 
• It was the fact that the Qin was not punishing the elites who were violating the law. 
• There persisted a lot of resentment in spite of their success. 
• After the Duke of Zhao died, the heir came to the throne. 
• Disgruntled court factions accused Shang Yang of treason. 
• He fled back to Wei, but was sent back by the people of Wei. 
• It was there that he was killed by Qin forces. 
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• The Reforms of Shang Yang
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• He had ideas on how the Qin might become successful at attaining supremacy over all the other states. 
• He (Lord Shang) started a series of reforms and it would change the state of the bureaucracy. 
• It would be based on merit and devolving power from the nobility. 
• He established a new capital at Xianyang and divided Qin into counties. 
• These counties were administered by non-hereditary magistrates. 
• He allowed people to sell and buy land. 
• He stressed a legal code as the best way to govern a state. 
• He insisted the law apply equally to everyone. 

• Prior to Centralization 
• After the Shang King Wu had to deal with a large ranging territory. 
• He divided China into fiefs and gave them to relatives of the royal house. 
• They were referred to as "dukes" - they had some autonomy. 
• The size of feudal kingdoms grew too large and powerful. 
• The relationship between king and feudal lords became distant. 
• In 338 BCE Duke Hui of Wei usurped the "king." 
• Others followed this innovation. 
• In 226 BCE the ruler of Qin did the same - he adopted the title "king." 
• In 221 BCE he gained control of all feudal kingdoms. 
• He resisted to adopt the idea of a feudal system. 
• He followed the lead of the Qin architect Li Si. 

• Li Si 
• Li Si came from the state of Chu. 
• He had been a student of Xunzi the Confucian scholar. 
• But he became motivated by power and profit and became an exponent of Legalism. 
• He sought his fortune in the state of Qin. 
• He held various government positions. 
• He was rewarded when the the first Emperor made him Chancellor. 
• This was one of the top job in government. 
• Li Si argued against the idea of offering feudal kingdoms to the relatives of the ruler. 
• He argued that King Wu of Zhou's feudal lords fought against each other unsuccessfully.
• It eventually led to the rise of states with war. 
• Division of the Empire
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• The First Emperor therefore divided the empire into 36 commanderies. 
• This was administered by appointed officials. 
• The political/social system, for almost 1,000 years was swept away with one command. 
• This had a tremendous effect on both the aristocrats and the common people. 

• The Dissolution of the Feudal Kingdoms
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• The emperor had to control both rebellious groups and disenfranchised aristocrats. 
• A number of things were done:
• a) all weapons were confiscated and sent to the capital. b) they were melted down and cast into bells and statues and placed in the palace grounds. 
• c) 120,000 of the most wealthy and powerful families were forced to move to the capital. 
• d) they were placed under surveillance. 
• e) he built replicas of their palaces in the capital as a way of humbling them. 
• f) all the people of the empire were graded into a system of non-hereditary ranks. 
• g) each individual could increase their status only through 1) military achievements 2) agricultural production - 
• the states included rights to land titles, tax remissions and slavery. 

• Ending the Monopoly 
• People still owed the central government taxes, military and labour services. 
• Land was no longer monopolized by the nobility. Ordinary citizens could buy and sell land. 
• These policies were to protect the legitimacy of the new imperial government. 
• They prevented any family or state to challenge the imperial power and authority. 

• Labour Services and Public Works 
• Forced labour was required of all adult males. 
• The plan was to create "expressways" all leading to the capital (Xianyang) 
• Roads. 
• The total length of Qin roads was 4,250 miles (6,840 km.) 
• This surpassed that of Roman roads. 
• The most impressive was the Straight Road of Meng Tian. 
• Meng Tian was one of the most illustrious generals. 
• He was in charge of constructing a north-south road of some 500 miles. 
• This cut through mountains and valleys from present day Xi'an to Inner Mongolia. 
• This was to keep an eye on the activities of the Xiongnu and other nomads. 
• Canals:
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• Equally important were the canals - especially the Zeng Guo canal. 
• It was named after an engineer from the state of Han. The canals were important for shipping supplies to the Qin armies. 
• These Qin armies tried to conquer the southern kingdom. 
• Irrigation Systems: 
• Irrigation systems were also put in place, hence preventing flooding and drought.
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• The Great Wall 
• The origin of the building of the wall goes back to remote antiquity. 
• Archaeologists have found village walls dating from the neolithic period. 
• Land was no longer monopolized by the nobility. 
• Original Wall and Walled Cities
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• A wall of stamped-earth was found at Erligang (Henan) dating back to the Shang Dynasty. 
• It was a 4.3 miles long and in places more than 30 feet high. 
• This suggests to archaeologists that the Shang was a network of walled cities.
• It was presided over by a king moving from settlement to settlement.
• The Zhou organized their state around wall cities.
• They were inhabited by the king and his royal kinsmen and functioned as military strongholds.
• After the collapse of the Western Zhou, individual city states became independent powers.
• This was the Spring and Autumn period.
• Their population ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 people.
• They felt less obliged to be loyal to the Zhou king.
• The stamped-earth method continued in the Warring States period to mark skate borders.
• It was also used as a defence against nomadic incursions along the northern frontier.
• These cities were often divided into two parts.
• 1) for public and governmental buildings.
• 2) for residential, commercial and industrial purposes.
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• Warring states cities constructed the outer wall to be about 15 miles.
• Their populations often reached 200,000 people.
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• At first the First Emperor ordered the demolition of these walls throughout the empire.
• This was to cripple the defence of these former states.
• Then he began wall constructions under his own terms.

The Qin Wall

• One of the largest construction projects was the “10,000 li” long wall.
• a li is 546 yards or 500 meters.
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• After the conquest Meng Tian with 300,000 men drove the nomads out of the north.
• There he began to fortify the frontier with constructions.
• He also repaired and connected the existing Warring States wall.
• The Qin worked at this for ten years.
• During the Qin there was not one”Great Wall.”
• It was a system of walls setting up a border and a line of defence.
• Very little remains of the wall erected by the First Emperor.
• There are surviving sections found in Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei, and Liaoning provinces.
• Stamped earth using clay, twigs, and gravel were used.
• The stone walls were built during the Ming period.