The Qin Dynasty: The Period That Engendered Imperial China

The Qin Dynasty: The Period That Engendered Imperial China


Throughout China’s five-thousand years of diverse political, economic, and social history, one particular dynasty established the base to which subsequent Chinese accomplishments were built upon. That dynasty was the Qin Dynasty. Though this ruling dynasty lasted only sixteen years, it ultimately changed the course of Chinese history. The Qin dynasty originated from the western state of Qin during the previous Zhou Dynasty. During the “warring states” period of the Zhou Dynasty, growing regional power and political instability of the country as a whole allowed the Qin to expand their territory. By 221 B.C., the Qin had eliminated all opposition and exercised absolute authority over all of China. King Zheng, ruler of the former Qin state, proclaimed himself Qin Shi Huangdi, or the First Sovereign Emperor of Qin, to signify the consolidation of his power. During the Qin period, the national government became centralized and authoritarian. Advocating the doctrine of Legalism, which stressed the needs of the government over the welfare of the population, the Qin regulated a strict system of reward and harsh punishment. To continue, the divisive feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty was replaced by a centralized prefect system. Long–term monumental changes brought about by Qin Shi Huangdi include the construction of roads and canals across the empire, the establishment of national systems for weights, measures, and writing, and the construction of the Great Wall. Despite these accomplishments, however, the government’s brutality, internal dissent, overbearing taxes, and the execution of thousands of the empire’s citizens ultimately brought an end to the Qin Dynasty by 205 B.C. Even though the brutality of the Qin had hastened their downfall, the Qin Dynasty was significant because of the fact that it had politically united China for the first time in its history, introducing the concept of a national identity.


Stanton, Kate. Atlas of World History. Bath, United Kingdom: Parragon Publishing, 2005.