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# Qin Shi Huang

# Qin Shi Huang

## Overview
Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE) was the first emperor of a unified China, founding the Qin dynasty and establishing centralized imperial governance that would endure for over two millennia. @t[259 BCE..210 BCE]

## Key Facts
- Born: 259 BCE, State of Zhao @t[=259 BCE]
- Died: 210 BCE (age 49) @t[=210 BCE]
- Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE @t[221 BCE..210 BCE]
- Original name: Ying Zheng
- Dynasty: Qin

## Achievements
- Unified the Warring States into a single empire (221 BCE) @t[=221 BCE] [^1]
- Standardized weights, measures, currency, and writing across China
- Began construction of the Great Wall by linking existing fortifications
- Built an extensive road and canal network
- Terracotta Army: ~8,000 life-sized warrior figures guarding his mausoleum, discovered 1974 [^2]

## Controversies
- Burning of books and burying of scholars (~213–212 BCE) @t[213 BCE..212 BCE]
- Harsh Legalist governance
- Massive forced labor for construction projects

## Legacy
The Qin dynasty collapsed shortly after his death (206 BCE), but his unification model was adopted by the succeeding Han dynasty. @t[=206 BCE]

---
[^1]: Sima Qian, *Records of the Grand Historian* (*Shiji*)
[^2]: Portal, J. *The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army* (British Museum, 2007)
---

## Review Queue

<!-- factbase:review -->
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Born: 259 BCE, State of Zhao" - when was this true?
> 259 BCE event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Died: 210 BCE (age 49)" - when was this true?
> 210 BCE event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE" - when was this true?
> 210 BCE event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Original name: Ying Zheng" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Dynasty: Qin" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Unified the Warring States into a single empire (221 BCE) [^1]" - when was this true?
> 221 BCE event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Standardized weights, measures, currency, and writing across China" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Began construction of the Great Wall by linking existing fortifications" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Built an extensive road and canal network" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Terracotta Army: ~8,000 life-sized warrior figures guarding his mausoleum, di..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Burning of books and burying of scholars (~213–212 BCE)" - when was this true?
> 212 BCE event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Harsh Legalist governance" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Massive forced labor for construction projects" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Sima Qian [^1]; Portal (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Born: 259 BCE, State of Zhao" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Died: 210 BCE (age 49)" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Original name: Ying Zheng" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 14: "Dynasty: Qin" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Standardized weights, measures, currency, and writing across China" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Began construction of the Great Wall by linking existing fortifications" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Built an extensive road and canal network" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Burning of books and burying of scholars (~213–212 BCE)" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Harsh Legalist governance" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 26: "Massive forced labor for construction projects" - what is the source?
> Sima Qian Shiji [^1]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 21: "Terracotta Army: ~8,000 life-sized warrior figures guarding his mausoleum, di..." - Portal source from 2007 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Established scholarship remains current.