The first unified Chinese dynasty was the Qin, founded in 221 BC. The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty was Qin Shi Huang, commonly known as the First Emperor.
Qin Shi Huang was the son of King Zhuangxiang of Qin. He inherited the throne at a very young age and enjoyed tremendous success during his reign. He gained control of many other warring states in the region and eventually unified the Chinese nation. He then assumed the title of ’First Emperor of Qin’ and established the empires of the Qin Dynasty.
He was known for his great military accomplishments. He implemented major reforms throughout the empire and restructured the government and legal codes. He built the Great Wall of China, which helped protect the northern borders of the empire from nomadic attackers. He also established the Legalist school of thought, which encompassed policies of strict law enforcement and harsh punishments for offenses.
The Qin Dynasty established a centralized bureaucracy and a uniform system of weights and measures. The First Emperor issued standardized coinage, standard writing systems, and converted all scripts to the same format. Furthermore, he developed a network of roads and canals.
Qin Shi Huang died in 210 BC and was succeeded by his son, Ying Zi. Ying Zi was also referred to as the Second Emperor of Qin. He continued his father’s projects of administrative and legal reform, though on a more limited scale. He was also responsible for the construction of the Lingqu Canal, a grand engineering feat.
The Qin Dynasty lasted for only 15 years before its overthrow in 206 BC by rebellion led by Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. They consolidated the various decentralized states into a new dynasty, the Han. It is believed that if not for the anti-Qin rebellion, the Qin State might have remained an imperial dynasty for much longer.
Despite its short lifespan, the Qin Dynasty’s legacy on China was profound. Its most famous accomplishment was the unification of the Chinese nation, something that would remain unchanged until the modern era. Additionally, its centralized bureaucracy and its implementation of legal standards would become a mainstay of Chinese society. These accomplishments, along with its impressive engineering feats, cemented the Qin Dynasty as one of the most influential dynasties in China’s history.