Text|Half a day's leisure
Editor|Half day
preface
The Qin Dynasty was the first unified dynasty in Chinese history, and it was founded after two centuries of war and political turmoil.
After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, political and social unification and standardization were achieved, which had a profound impact on China's political, military, cultural and economic development, becoming an important period in Chinese history.
This article will elaborate on the establishment of the Qin Dynasty from many aspects such as the rise of the Qin State, the unification of the Qin State, and the politics, economy, and culture of the Qin Dynasty.
First, the rise of the Qin state
The State of Qin was a small state during the Spring and Autumn period of China, located in what is now western Shaanxi Province.
The State of Qin had been in a weak position during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, but at the end of the 4th century BC, a politician named Jing Ke put forward the idea of "respecting Qin", which raised the international status of the Qin State and allowed it to gradually rise.
During the Warring States period, the national strength of the Qin state continued to increase, and the Qin state before Qin Shi Huang experienced many expansion wars.
The most famous of these was the Battle of Xianyang (221 BC), in which the Qin state defeated a coalition of six other princely states and unified China.
Second, the unification of the Qin state
Before the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, the political situation in China was very turbulent.
During the Warring States period, the seven heroes stood side by side and attacked each other. Especially Chu, Wei, Yan, Zhao and other countries are the strongest.
The Qin state gradually gained an advantage through its own continuous expansion. The Qin state defeated the combined forces of six other princely states in the Battle of Xianyang, making the unification of the Central Plains possible.
After Qin Shi Huang came to the throne, he implemented a series of reforms to further consolidate the unity of the Qin state.
First, he implemented a policy of "burning books and pit Confucianism", prohibiting private ownership of books, and collecting all academic achievements in a centralized manner, which became the standard document of the Qin Dynasty.
Second, he carried out large-scale land reform, abolished feudalism, introduced administrative divisions based on counties, and unified land distribution to peasants.
At the same time, he also introduced the standard system of weights and measures and the monetary system, which made communication easier between places.
Finally, he built a series of roads and canals to facilitate transportation and logistics and strengthen central control over local governments.
III. The Politics of the Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty practiced an extremely strict centralized system.
During his reign, Qin Shi Huang took a series of measures to strengthen the control of the central government.
He appointed the Three Dukes and Nine Secretaries, set up various systems and rules, down to all aspects, and stipulated that everything must be approved and instructed by the central authorities.
At the same time, he established the county system and introduced a system of administration at all levels to ensure the control of the central government over the localities.
In addition, the Qin Dynasty also implemented a class system, dividing the people into four classes: scholars, farmers, industry, and commerce, which was the first clear social class system in Chinese history.
Qin Shi Huang also established decrees stipulating punishment measures for various crimes, the laws were very strict, and the punishment of perpetrators was also cruel, all of which provided the guarantee for the establishment of centralized politics.
Fourth, the economy of the Qin Dynasty
The economy of the Qin dynasty was based on centralized power.
During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, he implemented a series of economic reforms, including the introduction of a monetary system and the introduction of a standard system of weights and measures, which facilitated the exchange of goods and strengthened the central control over the localities.
At the same time, the Qin Dynasty also took some measures to increase the state's fiscal revenue.
He introduced the system of equal fields, abolished feudal land ownership, and implemented the official land ownership system, with all land owned by the state.
Qin Shi Huang also implemented a policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, encouraging agricultural development and suppressing commercial development.
In addition, Qin Shi Huang also stipulated a system of forced labor, and used a large number of laborers to build many large-scale projects, which not only increased the country's wealth, but also consumed a lot of manpower and material resources.
5. Culture of the Qin Dynasty
The Qin dynasty's influence on Chinese culture was very far-reaching. During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, he implemented a policy of "burning books and pit Confucianism" and suppressed free thought.
But at the same time, he also carried out a series of cultural unification, concentrated the collection of documents from various places, compiled into huge works such as "The Book of Qin" and "Leaving the Trouble", and also compiled a book called "Chinese Classics", which sorted out the classic documents in Chinese history and laid the foundation for later cultural inheritance and development.
The Qin dynasty also had a great influence on Chinese writing and law.
During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the script used in various places was integrated into a standard script, the small seal, which laid the foundation for the later development of Chinese characters.
In addition, Qin Shi Huang also formulated a strict legal system that promoted the development of China's legal system.
6. The demise of the Qin Dynasty
There were two main reasons for the demise of the Qin Dynasty.
First, the Qin dynasty's excessively harsh rule, coupled with policies of forced labor and suppression of commerce, led to social instability and the accumulation of popular discontent.
Second, after the death of Qin Shi Huang, his two sons vied for the throne, which led to political chaos, coupled with external troubles and internal rebellions, and the Qin dynasty finally died in less than 20 years.
VII. The historical status of the Qin Dynasty
Although the Qin Dynasty existed for a short time, its impact on Chinese history was profound.
Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, created the first great unified dynasty in Chinese history, laid the foundation of China's politics, culture and economy, and laid a solid foundation for the development of Chinese history.
At the same time, the political and cultural unity of Qin Shi Huang also provided an important ideological and political foundation for the later Han Dynasty. Although the Qin Dynasty existed for a short time, its historical status and influence cannot be ignored.
8. Cultural heritage of the Qin Dynasty
The cultural heritage of the Qin Dynasty includes the Terracotta Army, the Great Wall, and the Qin Jian.
Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army is a funerary item in the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, located in the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.
The number of terracotta warriors is very large, according to research, the total number of terracotta warriors has reached more than 8,000.
The Terracotta Army is a restoration of weapons of the Qin Dynasty, which has high historical and cultural value and is known as the eighth wonder of the world.
Great Wall
The Great Wall is a great project in ancient China, originating in the Warring States period, when Qin Shi Huang, after he unified the Six Kingdoms, connected the walls of various places into a Great Wall to defend against the nomads in the north.
The construction of the Great Wall has lasted hundreds of years, which is not only an important chapter in the history of ancient Chinese engineering, but also an important symbol of Chinese history and culture.
Qin Jian
The Qin Jian is a document and wooden tablet from the Qin Shi Huang period, and is an important heritage of ancient Chinese calligraphy, culture and language.
The Qin Jianzhong records rich historical and cultural information, which is of high value for the study of ancient Chinese history, culture and language.
IX. Summary
The Qin Dynasty was an important period in Chinese history, and Qin Shi Huang finally unified the Six Kingdoms through constant wars and political means, creating the first great unified dynasty in Chinese history.
The establishment of the Qin Dynasty led to rapid political, cultural and economic development and progress in China, and also promoted the development and prosperity of Chinese civilization.
Although the Qin Dynasty existed for a short time, its impact on Chinese history and culture was profound and long-lasting, and its cultural heritage and historical status occupy an important place in Chinese history.
bibliography
- General History of China
- Ancient Chinese History
- "Terracotta Army of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin"
- "Qin Jian Kao Shi"
- History of the Great Wall of China
- "Qin and Han Empire"