stratego
Trying to be good.
China was unified under Qin, but the dynasty itself only lasted about 2 decades. How much impact did it have?
How much impact did Qin actually have on China?
- Thread starter stratego
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well the qin standardized weight,lengths,measurements, writing, legal system and currancy throughout "china " for the first time. they began the great wall.
on the down side they burned books and had hundreds of thousands of slaves build his tomb ( terra cotta army buried inside )
on the down side they burned books and had hundreds of thousands of slaves build his tomb ( terra cotta army buried inside )
The Qin defined Imperial China for the next 2200 years. 
Dann
Green bug
For the record, the Qin was NOT the first unifier of China. "China" was already a unified state under the Shang and the Zhou, although these controlled a much smaller territory than even the traditional "Han" territory of China. It was under the Zhou where feudalism eventually led to the division of their kingdom into dozens of small states.
However, without the Qin unification, China would not be what it is today. Exactly like what XIII said. How? Like what pawpaw said, and more.
After the Qin's collapse, the initial phase of the revolts was initiated by the old nobles to restore the old separate kingdoms. But the generals, having seen the attractiveness of the new system espoused by Qin, overturned this. The final winning warlord, Liu Bang, founder of the Han, based his ruling system almost entirely on the Qin one, with only a few changes to appease the people.
In subsequent periods, dynasties rose and fell, and China was splintered and re-unified countless times. But all through this, no one was EVER comfortable with the periods of division. Everyone was always striving for re-unifying China (with himself as emperor of course
) The only period of China where it could have grown into something else - a collection of states with the same race but different languages and cultures, much like Europe - was the Warring States era, and it died with the Qin unification and state-enforced standardization.
And for the next 2200 years, this system was never challenged until the inroads of Western ideas, and only when the disparity between China and the Western powers was so ridiculously obvious.
However, without the Qin unification, China would not be what it is today. Exactly like what XIII said. How? Like what pawpaw said, and more.
After the Qin's collapse, the initial phase of the revolts was initiated by the old nobles to restore the old separate kingdoms. But the generals, having seen the attractiveness of the new system espoused by Qin, overturned this. The final winning warlord, Liu Bang, founder of the Han, based his ruling system almost entirely on the Qin one, with only a few changes to appease the people.
In subsequent periods, dynasties rose and fell, and China was splintered and re-unified countless times. But all through this, no one was EVER comfortable with the periods of division. Everyone was always striving for re-unifying China (with himself as emperor of course
) The only period of China where it could have grown into something else - a collection of states with the same race but different languages and cultures, much like Europe - was the Warring States era, and it died with the Qin unification and state-enforced standardization.And for the next 2200 years, this system was never challenged until the inroads of Western ideas, and only when the disparity between China and the Western powers was so ridiculously obvious.
Another thing to note is that the Qin were the first to conquer the far south. The present city of Guangzhou was founded by the First Emperor (though of course it was more a military colony then and was under a different name). The far south was not really made Chinese until many centuries later, but Qin developed a government presence there (instead of just small independent groups of Han settlers).
From Rafe de Crespigny:
"The lands beyond the Nan Ling divide were originally brought under Chinese control by the First Emperor of Qin. In a series of campaigns between 220 and final victory in 214, the armies of Qin conquered and annexed territories covering the greater part of present-day Guangdong, Guangxi and northern Vietnam, and there was at least a brief occupation of part of Fujian.52 With the fall of Qin a few years later, however, Zhao Tuo, who had been named as successor to the Commandant of Nanhai under the empire, took advantage of the disturbed conditions to the north to seize and block the passes through the Nan Ling, and he established his own regime. This kingdom of Nan-Yue continued under Zhao Tuo and his successors for almost a hundred years until it was conquered by the armies of Emperor Wu in 111."
During his reign, the first emperor also built a huge network of roads and canals to facilitate communications in the empire and some of these are still in use today. For example:
"This notable development reflects the importance of the imperial communications routes and the prosperity brought by trade with the southern coast. Under the empire of Qin, the highway which came south to Changsha had continued up the valley of the Xiang along the present-day railway line southeast into Lingling. Just south of the county of Lingling, by the present town of Xing'an in Guangxi, the First Emperor had a canal cut across the watershed to link the Xiang River with the head-waters of the Li. This remarkable feat of engineering, the Ling Qu "Magic Trench," initially constructed to aid the movement of the First Emperor's armies in their conquest of the far south, was maintained throughout the Han dynasty. It has been restored on occasion over the last two thousand years, and it is still used for traffic between north and south."
I think he also constructed roads directly connecting the northern borders.
The First Emperor's main priority was to unify the nation. So he standardised writing, weights, the width of carriage (so that they could all fit onto the roads), currency etc. Of course he standardised them on the pain of *death*. Communications was a vital part of this. He abolished feudalism and established the regime of provinces and the use of constantly rotating inspectors and administrators to rule them instead of kings. His ruling philosophy was to feed the trunk and starve the branches. Of course all the achievements of Qin were under the First Emperor. The Second Emperor was a total incompetent.
As XIII stated, the Qin helped define China for the next 2200 years
From Rafe de Crespigny:
"The lands beyond the Nan Ling divide were originally brought under Chinese control by the First Emperor of Qin. In a series of campaigns between 220 and final victory in 214, the armies of Qin conquered and annexed territories covering the greater part of present-day Guangdong, Guangxi and northern Vietnam, and there was at least a brief occupation of part of Fujian.52 With the fall of Qin a few years later, however, Zhao Tuo, who had been named as successor to the Commandant of Nanhai under the empire, took advantage of the disturbed conditions to the north to seize and block the passes through the Nan Ling, and he established his own regime. This kingdom of Nan-Yue continued under Zhao Tuo and his successors for almost a hundred years until it was conquered by the armies of Emperor Wu in 111."
During his reign, the first emperor also built a huge network of roads and canals to facilitate communications in the empire and some of these are still in use today. For example:
"This notable development reflects the importance of the imperial communications routes and the prosperity brought by trade with the southern coast. Under the empire of Qin, the highway which came south to Changsha had continued up the valley of the Xiang along the present-day railway line southeast into Lingling. Just south of the county of Lingling, by the present town of Xing'an in Guangxi, the First Emperor had a canal cut across the watershed to link the Xiang River with the head-waters of the Li. This remarkable feat of engineering, the Ling Qu "Magic Trench," initially constructed to aid the movement of the First Emperor's armies in their conquest of the far south, was maintained throughout the Han dynasty. It has been restored on occasion over the last two thousand years, and it is still used for traffic between north and south."
I think he also constructed roads directly connecting the northern borders.
The First Emperor's main priority was to unify the nation. So he standardised writing, weights, the width of carriage (so that they could all fit onto the roads), currency etc. Of course he standardised them on the pain of *death*. Communications was a vital part of this. He abolished feudalism and established the regime of provinces and the use of constantly rotating inspectors and administrators to rule them instead of kings. His ruling philosophy was to feed the trunk and starve the branches. Of course all the achievements of Qin were under the First Emperor. The Second Emperor was a total incompetent.
As XIII stated, the Qin helped define China for the next 2200 years
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