Qin Shihuangdi
I. Early Years
A. He was born Prince Zheng of the royal family of the state of Qin (259 BCE).
B. In 256 BCE, the Qin clan took over the Zhou Dynasty.
C. At the young age of 13, Prince Zheng became king (246 BCE).
II. Significant Events
A. In 221 BCE, King Zheng gains control of all of China and becomes the First Emperor of Qin. He takes
on a new name Qin Shihuangdi.
B. Influenced by Legalism, Qin Shihuangdi unified China’s government. He set up 36 districts with 3
officials to govern each one. Each official had a specific responsibility of either being in charge of
the army, taking care of laws and agriculture, or reporting to the emperor.
C. He standardized many aspects of everyday life that unified the Chinese culture. People were held
accountable to follow laws and guidelines for money, weights, measures, and writing.
III. Personal Attributes
A. He ruled his subjects harshly and forced his laborers to work on treacherous building projects.
B. Qin Shihuangdi wore a dragon emblem. Water was the lucky element for the Qin and the dragon
was the divine lord of the waters.
C. He was vulnerable about dying and even though he had many accomplishments, it was written
that he never found true happiness.
IV. Contributions
A. He started construction of the Great Wall of China in 214 BCE to protect China from invaders coming
from the north.
B. His enormous tomb with a terracotta army of 6,000 men was one of the great archeological finds
of the 20th century.
C. The emperor took its name from the Qin (pronounced “chin”) to become China.
V. My Impressions
A. I am impressed at what an effective leader he was to unify the government and culture in China.
B. It was amazing to see the pictures of the tomb he created for himself in the afterlife. The detail and
amount of life-size clay soldiers is awesome but it’s sad to know they were made at the expense of
forced laborers.
A. He was born Prince Zheng of the royal family of the state of Qin (259 BCE).
B. In 256 BCE, the Qin clan took over the Zhou Dynasty.
C. At the young age of 13, Prince Zheng became king (246 BCE).
II. Significant Events
A. In 221 BCE, King Zheng gains control of all of China and becomes the First Emperor of Qin. He takes
on a new name Qin Shihuangdi.
B. Influenced by Legalism, Qin Shihuangdi unified China’s government. He set up 36 districts with 3
officials to govern each one. Each official had a specific responsibility of either being in charge of
the army, taking care of laws and agriculture, or reporting to the emperor.
C. He standardized many aspects of everyday life that unified the Chinese culture. People were held
accountable to follow laws and guidelines for money, weights, measures, and writing.
III. Personal Attributes
A. He ruled his subjects harshly and forced his laborers to work on treacherous building projects.
B. Qin Shihuangdi wore a dragon emblem. Water was the lucky element for the Qin and the dragon
was the divine lord of the waters.
C. He was vulnerable about dying and even though he had many accomplishments, it was written
that he never found true happiness.
IV. Contributions
A. He started construction of the Great Wall of China in 214 BCE to protect China from invaders coming
from the north.
B. His enormous tomb with a terracotta army of 6,000 men was one of the great archeological finds
of the 20th century.
C. The emperor took its name from the Qin (pronounced “chin”) to become China.
V. My Impressions
A. I am impressed at what an effective leader he was to unify the government and culture in China.
B. It was amazing to see the pictures of the tomb he created for himself in the afterlife. The detail and
amount of life-size clay soldiers is awesome but it’s sad to know they were made at the expense of
forced laborers.