From seven states to one: unification
Before 221 BCE, China was split into seven large states that fought each other for about 250 years in the "Warring States" age. A state here means a kingdom with its own king and army.
Qin was in the west. Earlier reforms had made it strong: farmers got land, soldiers were rewarded for bravery (not for birth), and laws were strict and clear.
- 230 BCE: Qin takes the first state.
- 221 BCE: the last state, Qi, falls.
- King Zheng gives himself a new title, Huangdi (emperor), because "king" felt too small.
Rulers before him were called "king". He wanted a name that was higher than any king. He is known as Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor.
One standard for everything
A standard is a rule that everyone follows the same way, like one kind of coin. Qin made these:
- One coin: round with a square hole, used everywhere.
- One axle width: cart wheels fit the ruts on every road, so carts could travel far.
- One set of weights and measures: a kilo or a length meant the same in every market.
- One script: people from far places who spoke different dialects could read the same written order.
- Roads and canals: for army and trade, built across the empire. Older border walls in the north were joined, which later helped the idea of the Great Wall.
Why it matters: with one money and one writing, officers could send orders and collect tax over a huge land.
About books: in 213 BCE the emperor ordered many old books (poems, histories of other states) burned, so that scholars could not compare him with the past. This was cruel, and scholars never forgave him.
A centralised system of rule
Centralised means power sits at one centre, the emperor. Before Qin, kings gave land to relatives and lords, and their sons ruled after them. Lords could become rivals.
Qin changed this:
- The empire was cut into about 36 commanderies (jun), and each into counties (xian).
- Each had officers appointed and paid by the emperor. They could be moved or removed. They did not inherit the post.
- Officers wrote regular reports to the capital, Xianyang.
- Law was strict and the same for all. The thinking behind it is called Legalism: people obey when rewards and punishments are clear and strong.
- Rich old families were moved to the capital so they could not rebel from their homelands.
This commandery-county system was so useful that later dynasties kept it for 2,000 years.
Why Qin fell so fast
Qin lasted only 15 years as an empire (221 to 206 BCE). Reasons, one by one:
- Too much work at once: the Wall, roads, palaces and a huge tomb (guarded by thousands of clay soldiers, the Terracotta Army) all needed workers.
- Heavy tax and forced labour: farmers left their fields to work or fight far away.
- Very harsh punishments: even small crimes brought severe penalties.
- Angry scholars and old families after the book burning and the move to the capital.
- Weak plan for the next ruler: when the First Emperor died in 210 BCE, officials fought over the throne.
In 209 BCE two low-ranked men, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, led a farmers’ revolt. Rebels spread fast and Qin ended in 206 BCE. A farmer’s son, Liu Bang, later founded Han and kept Qin’s system but with milder laws.
How exams ask about Qin
Common questions: (1) list Qin’s unification measures; (2) explain the commandery-county system; (3) give causes of Qin’s fall; (4) why was Qin’s rule short but its system long-lived. Answer in a chain: cause, then effect. Use the dates 221 BCE (unification), 213 BCE (book burning), 210 BCE (emperor dies), 206 BCE (fall).
Key formulas and definitions
- Seven states (230 to 221 BCE) → one empire
- Qin Shi Huang = First Emperor, from 221 BCE
- Standards: one coin, one axle, one measure, one script
- Centralised = power at one centre, officers appointed and removable
- Empire lasted 221 − 206 = 15 years
- Key dates: 221, 213, 210, 209, 206 BCE
Worked examples
1. How many years did the Qin empire last if it began in 221 BCE and ended in 206 BCE?
BCE years count down, so subtract: 221 − 206 = 15 years.
2. Why did Qin standardise the axle width of carts?
Roads had ruts (grooves) made by wheels. If all carts had the same axle width, they fit the ruts on every road. Armies, grain and goods could then travel far without trouble. So the empire was one trade and army network.
3. Give two differences between the old kingdoms and Qin’s commandery system.
1) Old lords’ sons inherited power by birth; in Qin, officers were appointed by the emperor and could be removed. 2) Old states had their own coins, laws and scripts; Qin had one for all and orders came from one centre.
4. Why did Qin’s harsh laws help at first but hurt later?
Clear, strict laws made Qin’s army and farms well organised, which helped it win. But when the empire grew and work and punishments became too heavy, people had no reason to be loyal. They revolted when a chance came, after the emperor died.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Qin built the whole Great Wall we see today. Qin joined older walls; most of the stone Wall seen today was built much later.
- Reading BCE dates like CE dates. 221 BCE is EARLIER than 206 BCE.
- Believing centralised rule failed. Qin’s rulers failed, but the system lasted about 2,000 years.
- Mixing up "Qin" and "China". The name China likely comes from "Qin", but Qin was one dynasty.