

Qin Shi Huang  and His Empire  
                          -- First Emperor of China

Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin, was the first sovereign who adopted the title of emperor in Chinese history. With a pioneer's boldness of vision, he accomplished magnificent feats during his lifetime.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 BC - 210 BC) Calling himself the First Emperor after China's unification, Qin Shi Huang is a pivotal figure in Chinese history, ushering nearly two millennia of imperial rule. After unifying China, he and his chief advisor Li Si passed a series of major economic and political reforms. He undertook gigantic projects, including the first version of the Great Wall of China, the now famous city-sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized Terracotta Army, and a massive national road system, all at the expense of numerous lives. To ensure stability, Qin Shi Huang outlawed and burned many books and buried some scholars alive.

How did he come to the throne?


"Qin Shi Huang"

♦ Early Reign of Qin Shi Huang
In this unstable environment, warfare flourished, as did books like Sun Tzu's Art of War.
♦ First unification of China
In 230 BC, King Zheng unleashed the final campaigns of the Warring States Period, setting out to conquer the remaining independent kingdoms, one by one.
The first state to fall was Han (韓; sometimes called Hann to distinguish it from the Han 漢 of Han dynasty), in 230 BC. Then Qin took advantage of a natural disaster, the 229 BC Zhao state earthquake, to invade and conquer Zhao where Qin Shi Huang had been born. He now avenged his poor treatment as a child hostage there, seeking out and killing his enemies.
For the first time, all of China was unified under one powerful ruler. In that same year, King Zheng proclaimed himself the "First Emperor" (始皇帝), no longer a king in the old sense and now far surpassing the achievements of the old Zhou Dynasty rulers.
In the South, military expansion continued during his reign, with various regions being annexed to what is now Guangdong province and part of today's Vietnam.
♦ Death of Qin Shi Huang
After the emperor's death Prime Minister Li Si, who accompanied him, became extremely worried that the news of his death could trigger a general uprising in the empire. It would take two months for the government to reach the capital, and it would not be possible to stop the uprising. Li Si decided to hide the death of the emperor, and return to Xianyang. Most of the imperial entourage accompanying the emperor was left ignorant of the emperor's death; only a younger son, Ying Huhai, who was traveling with his father, the eunuch Zhao Gao, Li Si, and five or six favorite eunuchs knew of the death. Li Si also ordered that two carts containing rotten fish be carried immediately before and after the wagon of the emperor. The idea behind this was to prevent people from noticing the foul smell emanating from the wagon of the emperor, where his body was starting to decompose severely as it was summertime. They also pulled down the shade so no one could see his face, changed his clothes daily, brought food and when he had to have important conversations they would act as if he wanted to send them a message.

Achievements and Defects



 Decline of the First Emperor

Mystery of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum revealed

Archeologists have unraveled the mysterious plan of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, the 2,200-year-oldstructure which is famous as the home of 7,000 terracotta horses and warriors.

Located in Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the QinShi Huang Mausoleum is the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) and also of China.














Attractions In  Xi'an                        More

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses

Mountain Hua

Huaqing Hot Spring

Qin Shi Huang Tomb