# 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. ## Key Facts - Born: 259 BCE, State of Zhao - Died: 210 BCE (age 49) - Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE - Original name: Ying Zheng - Dynasty: Qin ## Achievements - Unified the Warring States into a single empire (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) - 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. --- [^1]: Sima Qian, *Records of the Grand Historian* (*Shiji*) [^2]: Portal, J. *The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army* (British Museum, 2007) --- ## Review Queue - [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.