and the Great Wall of China

The Qin Dynasty

6.35 Explain how Shi Huangdi united China and constructed the Great WallDuring the Period of

Warring States, one of the states was Qin.

The ruler of the Qin sent a large cavalry to defeat the other states and end the Zhou Dynasty.

The Qin came into control of China.

The Qin ruler declared himself Shi Huangdi, which means “first emperor.”

How did Qin change China?Took direct control of

China’s provincesAppointed governors

loyal to himUnified ChinaAppointed censors to

make sure government workers did their job

Emperor Qin (Shihuangdi)Ruled with absolute

controlUsed swift, harsh

punishmentsCreated a currencySimplified Chinese writingOrdered construction of

his own tombBuilt a canal connecting

the Chang Jiang to city of Guangzhou

Qin DynastyThis dynasty lasted only 15 yearsOne of the most famous dynastiesQin was the first man to control all of ChinaHe was a legalist which meant that he

believed that people were basically bad and must be controlled

He developed a spy system; spies were well rewarded

He had great, absolute power

Changes during the Qin DynastyStarted construction of

the the Great WallTook land away from the

nobles to weaken their power

Burned books if they were not useful (based on his opinion!)

Scholars who refused to burn their books were burned alive

More changes QinHe gave peasants one of two

jobs: grow food or harvest silkPut people to building bridges,

roads, canalsCreated a law code and

enforcement groupCreated a system of

standardization of weights and measures, money, laws, and written language

Did not believe he was cruelHis systems saved millions of

lives from flood and famine and war

He felt he was an outstanding ruler

He planned for his son to take over, but farmers and aristocrats revolted which led to the Han dynasty

The Great Wall of ChinaQin wanted to keep his

empire safe from invasion.Nomads, called the

Xiongnu, lived in the Gobi Desert.

The Xiongnu were skilled warriors who fought on horseback and attacked Chinese settlements.

Qin wanted to have the existing walls joined and strengthened.

Construction of the WallQin forced hundreds of

thousands of farmers to leave their fields and work on the wall.

The wall used stone, sand, and rubble.

The wall was 2,600 miles long and took 10 years to build.

So many people died building it that it is called the world’s largest cemetery.

Let’s think….How would you

describe Qin as a ruler?What was Qin’s goal for

China?What was the purpose

of the Great Wall?Compare Qin and

Confucius-what did they believe about people?

The End of Qin Rule221 BC- Qin boasted that his dynasty would

rule China forever!210 BC- The dynasty ended soon after Qin’s

death: People revolted against Qin’s harsh rule. Fighting erupted throughout China.206 BC- The Qin dynasty was over, and a

new dynasty arose.

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