The kingdom of Qin has taken a special place in the history of ancient China. His prince, having conquered the neighbors mired in feuds, created a single state. This warlord was a Qin wang named Ying Zheng, who became known as the first Chinese emperor Qin Shihuangdi.
From Van to the Emperor
In the IV century BC e. the problem of the political unification of ancient Chinese kingdoms occupied the minds of leading thinkers of that era, when objective prerequisites were gradually created for creating a single country, at the head of which the Chinese emperor would sit.
The union was dictated by the logic of the political situation prevailing in the V-III centuries BC. e. The desire to eliminate the independence of neighboring kingdoms and absorb their territory at that time led to the fact that in place of many dozens of large and small hereditary possessions remained "seven strongest": Chu, Qi, Zhao, Han, Wei, Yan and Qin. The rulers of almost all of them cherished plans for the complete defeat of their rivals. They hoped that the first dynasty of Chinese emperors would be founded by them.
Opponents in the struggle for unification widely used the tactics of alliances with distant kingdoms. The “vertical” union of the kingdoms of Chu and Zhao is known, directed against the “horizontal union” of Qin and Qi. Initially, success was with Chu, but the last word was left to the ruler of Qin.
- in 228 BC e. under the blows of the Qin troops, Zhao fell;
- in 225 - the kingdom of Wei;
- in 223 Chu was subdued;
- a year later - Yan;
- the last surrendered the kingdom of Qi (221 BC).
As a result, Ying Zheng became the emperor, who received the symbolic name Qin Shihuandi (the name of the Chinese emperor is translated as “First Emperor Qin”).
Association Prerequisites
The most important prerequisite for the destruction of the former political borders between the kingdoms was the development of stable economic ties. He painted a vivid picture of the strengthening of trade relations between them in the III century BC. e. Xunzi, who emphasized the important role of economic relations to meet the natural needs of people for those products that are not produced in their places of residence.
Also at this time there was a partial spontaneous unification of the payment coin. In the V-III centuries BC. e. on the territory of the Middle China Plain and adjacent regions, large economic areas gradually develop, the borders of which do not coincide with the political borders of the kingdoms. Commoners, merchants and nobles understood that for further development a “single” Chinese emperor was needed, which would erase internal political borders for the sake of the economy.
Formation of a single ethnic group
Another fundamental reason for unification under the rule of Qin Shihuandi was the common ethnic and cultural space that had practically formed by then. The consolidation of the ancient Chinese occurred, despite the borders of the Middle Kingdoms that shared them.
The formation of a single cultural stereotype of the population, the stabilization of ideas about its community, the development of ethnic identity of the ancient Chinese not only paved the way for future unification, but also made it a priority.
Qin Shihuangdi Reforms
The defeat of the six kingdoms, as well as the subsequent unification of territories, was only a timid little step in the formation of the state. The unpopular but necessary reforms that the Chinese emperor Qin initiated became more important. They were aimed at eliminating the consequences of prolonged economic and political fragmentation.
By decisively breaking down the obstacles that prevented the establishment of regular ties between all the districts of the empire, Qin Shi Huang destroyed the walls that divided some of the warring kingdoms. Only buildings along the vast northern borders were preserved, completed on the missing places and combined into one Great Wall.
Shihuandi also paid great attention to the construction of highways connecting the then capital of Xianyang with the periphery. One of the most ambitious construction activities of this kind was the construction of the Direct Path connecting the vicinity of Xianyang with the center of Juyuan County (over 1,400 km long).
Administrative reform
These reforms were preceded by a fierce struggle of opinions over how to organize the management of the newly annexed territories, which principle should be laid as the basis of the administrative system of the empire. Counselor Wang Guan insisted that, according to a tradition dating back to the time of Zhou, the outlying lands of the country should be given into the hereditary possession of the emperor’s relatives.
Lee Sy strongly opposed this, proposing a fundamentally different project of government. The Chinese emperor accepted Li Si's proposal. The territory of the Middle Kingdom was divided into 36 districts, each of which consisted of counties (xian). At the head of the districts were the governors, appointed directly by the emperor.
By the way, the very idea of ​​creating in the newly joined territories of the okrugs - administrative units of central subordination - arose at the end of the fifth century BC e. The essence of the reform of Qin Shihuangdi was expressed in the fact that he extended the system of districts throughout the territory of his empire. The borders of the new formations did not coincide with the territory of the former kingdoms of the Zhangguo period and did not correspond to the natural-geographical boundaries, which could contribute to the isolation of individual regions of the country.
Culture and legislation
Other important activities to strengthen the centralized power of the emperor also include:
- introduction of uniform legislation;
- unification of measures and weights;
- monetary system reform;
- introduction of a single written language.
Reforms of Qin Shihuandi significantly contributed to the strengthening of both the cultural and economic community of the empire. “The lands between the four seas were united,” wrote Sima Qian on this occasion, “the outposts were opened, the prohibitions on the use of mountains and lakes were relaxed. Therefore, rich merchants were able to freely travel around the Middle Kingdom, and there was no place where goods for exchange did not penetrate. ”
Slavery and Terror
However, the first emperor was not a model of virtue. On the contrary, many historians consider him a tyrant. For example, he actually encouraged the trade in slaves, not only prisoners captured in military campaigns, but also residents of China itself. The state itself massively converted the population into slavery for debts or for crimes committed, and then sold them to slave owners. Prisons also turned into slave markets. Severe terror was established in the country, on one suspicion of dissatisfaction with the activities of the emperor, the entire surrounding population was destroyed. Despite this, crime increased: there were frequent cases of kidnapping in order to sell them into slavery.
Persecution of Dissenters
The Chinese emperor Shihuandi severely repressed the Confucians, who preached traditional universal values, principles of morality and civic duty, asceticism. Many of them were executed or sent to hard labor, and all of their books were burned and henceforth banned.
And what after?
In the essay by the historian Sima Qian Shiji (in “Historical Notes”) it is mentioned that the emperor died in 210 during a trip to China. The death of the sovereign overtook suddenly. The youngest son who succeeded the throne ascended the throne when internal social contradictions in the country became much more acute. At first, Ershihuan tried to continue the most important events of his father, in every way emphasizing the continuity of his policy. To this end, he issued a decree that the unification of measures and weights undertaken by Qin Shihuang remains in force. However, popular unrest, skillfully used by the nobility, led to the fact that the first dynasty of Chinese emperors Qin left the historical arena.
The collapse of the empire
The unpopular decisions of Qin Shihuandi provoked protests in various social strata. Many attempts were made on him, and immediately after his death a wide uprising of the masses began, destroying his dynasty. The rebels did not spare even the giant tomb of the emperor, which was plundered and partially burned.
As a result of the uprising, Liu Bang came to power (206-195 BC), the founder of the new dynasty of emperors - Han, which before that was just the headman of a small village. He took a number of measures to combat corruption and reduce the influence of the oligarchy. Thus, merchants and money-lenders, as well as their relatives, were prohibited from holding public office. Merchants were levied with increased taxes; rules for the rich were introduced. In the villages, local government was restored, abolished Qin Shi Huang.
Dynasties of Chinese Emperors
- The Xia era (2100-1600 BC) is a semi-mythical dynasty whose existence is described in legends, but there are no real evidence of archaeological finds.
- The Shan era (1600-1100 BC) is the first dynasty whose existence is documented.
- The era of Zhou (1027-256 BC. E.), is divided into 3 periods: western Zhou, Chunqiu and Zhangguo.
- Qin (221-206 BC) - the first imperial dynasty.
- Han (202 BC - 220 AD) - a dynasty founded by a rural headman after a popular uprising.
- The era of the Northern and Southern dynasties (220-589) - over the course of several centuries a whole series of rulers and their dynasties changed: Wei, Jin, Qi, Zhou - northern; Su, Qi, Liang, Chen are southern.
- Sui (581-618) and Tan (618-906) - the heyday of science, culture, construction, military affairs, diplomacy.
- The period of the “Five Dynasties” (906–960) is a time of troubles.
- Song (960-1270) - restoration of centralized power, weakening of military power.
- Yuan (1271-1368) - the rule of the Mongol conquerors.
- Min (1368-1644) - founded by a wandering monk who led a rebellion against the Mongols. It is characterized by the development of commodity economy.
- Qing (1644-1911) - founded by the Manchus who took advantage of the confusion in the country caused by peasant uprisings and the overthrow of the last emperor Ming.
Conclusion
Qin Shihuandi is one of the most famous historical figures in ancient Chinese history. His name is associated with the hero of the fairy tale by H. H. Andersen, “The Nightingale and the Chinese Emperor.” The founder of the Qin dynasty can be put on a par with the names of Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Lenin - persons who shocked the founding of society, radically changed the life of not only their native state, but also of many neighbors.