The first Chinese Emperor was Qin Shi Huang, who united the seven warring states of the Warring States Period and became the first Emperor of a unified China in 221 BC. He is generally credited as the founder of the Qin Dynasty and is considered to be the first true Chinese Emperor.
Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BC and was the son of King Zhuangxiang of the small state of Qin. He became king at the age of 13 and immediately began consolidating power and launching military campaigns to extend his kingdom’s borders. While other states fought with each other for territory and resources, Qin kept expanding. Eventually, all the other warring states were either annexed or defeated, and by 221 BC, Qin had united all of the states into one unified China. Qin Shi Huang declared himself the First Emperor of a new dynasty, the Qin Dynasty, and set up a centralized imperial court in Xi’an.
During his reign, Qin Shi Huang implemented many sweeping reforms that established the foundations of Chinese civilization. He standardized the written language, measures such as weights and currency, tax collection system and the structure of the government. He also developed an intricate system of roads and canals to facilitate trade and transportation. His most ambitious project was the construction of the Great Wall of China, which was intended to protect China from northern nomadic invaders.
Qin Shi Huang also sought to unify China culturally by outlawing different forms of religious belief and philosophy, including Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism. He commissioned hundreds of life-sized terracotta warriors to be made in his likeness and buried as a display of his power.
Qin Shi Huang died in 210 BC, only 11 years after taking the throne. He did not have any sons, so the throne was passed down to his son-in-law, Liu Bang, who founded the Han Dynasty and moved the capital east to Luoyang. Despite his brief rule, the reforms of Qin Shi Huang laid the foundation for Chinese civilization and are still celebrated today.