# 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: February 259 BCE, Handan (capital of Zhao) @t[=259 BCE] - Died: 12 July 210 BCE (age 49) @t[=210 BCE] - King of Qin: 247–221 BCE @t[247 BCE..221 BCE] [^1] - Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE @t[221 BCE..210 BCE] - Original name: Ying Zheng (also known as Zhao Zheng) - Dynasty: Qin - Chief minister: Li Si [^1] ## Achievements - Unified the Warring States into a single empire (221 BCE) @t[=221 BCE] [^1] - Standardized weights, measures, currency, and writing across China @t[221 BCE..210 BCE] [^1] - Began construction of the Great Wall by linking existing fortifications @t[~221 BCE..210 BCE] [^1] - Built an extensive road and canal network @t[221 BCE..210 BCE] [^1] - Expanded the empire south into Yue lands (modern Hunan and Guangdong) and conquered the Ordos Plateau from the Xiongnu @t[221 BCE..210 BCE] [^1] - Terracotta Army: ~8,000 life-sized warrior figures, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses guarding his mausoleum; discovered 1974; main tomb mound remains unexcavated [^2] ## Controversies - Burning of books and burying of scholars (~213–212 BCE) @t[213 BCE..212 BCE] [^1] - Harsh Legalist governance @t[221 BCE..210 BCE] [^1] - Massive forced labor for construction projects @t[221 BCE..210 BCE] [^1] ## 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 - [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 - Portal source from 2007 may be outdated, is this still accurate?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.