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History of Xianyang

Xianyang was the first Capital of China. Even by Chinese standards Xianyang (pronounced "sheng young") is an ancient city. In 2001, the 2350th anniversary of the founding of the city was celebrated!
In 246 BC, 13 year old Ying Zheng (259 - 210 BC) became ruler of the State of Qin on the death of his uncle. Qin (pronounced "chin") was one of the seven states that existed then in the area we now know as China.
When he was 22 (237 BC), Ying Zheng assumed control of the state and embarked on a campaign to bring the other six states under his control. This he achieved in 221 BC and in doing so united China into a single state under a centralised ruler for the first time in history (and which become a powerful model for all later emperors).
Combining the titles of two mythical founders of the Chinese people, Ying Zheng gave himself the title of "Huang Di" which has been translated into English as "Emperor". Thus Ying Zheng became "Qin Shi Huangdi" which means "The First Emperor of Qin" ("shi" meaning one). This has been shortened in modern times to Qin Shi Huang (pronounced "chin sher hwung").
Qin Shi Huang had established his Capital at Xianyang on the Wei He River (pronounced "way her") and it became a magnificient city during his short rule.
Before the life of Qin Shi Huang, the people of Qin had established a strong philosophical basis for their society, which is possibly a reason why they became dominant in China. This school of thought is known as "legalism". Legalism advocated a strong central government and the rule by law which was formulated, and enforced throughout the country, by the government. It was adopted and applied forcibly by Qin Shi Huang.

Achievements Of The First Emperor

Notable achievements of his rule were:

• the enactment of well-defined laws by which everything was decided accordingly. These legal codes served as an important tool for the administration of the country,
• standardisation of the written language on the script used in the State of Qin,
• implementation of a national standard of weights and measures,
• minting of a coin as the official national currency (round with a square hole which became the model for later centuries),
• construction of a number of imperial highways, had canals dug and water transport developed,
• construction of the Great Wall of China by building long walls to link 3 existing walls built by earlier states,
• standardisation of axle widths so carts could traverse rutted roads,
• driving out the nomadic invaders originating from the Mongolian plateau to the north who had long plundered the countryside,
• mobilising an army in 214 BC against the people of the south which extended the borders beyond present day Hong Kong,
• construction of 140 palaces for himself north of his Capital, Xianyang, modelled on those in the six conquered states. He conscripted 700,000 to build the uncompleted AÕfang Palace and his vast mausoleum 50 km to the east,
• travelling by horse-drawn carriage, he made a number of long journeys around his realm enforcing his rule.

Autocratic Rule

To achieve so much in so little time it shouldn't be surprising that Qin Shi Huang was an autocratic ruler. His rule imposed a severe burden on the populace:

• two thirds of the peasant's harvests had to be turned over as taxes,
• men were conscripted for the army and labour on the large-scale construction works leaving women to do heavy tasks. Countless numbers died in the military campaigns and on government projects,
• the penal code was harsh. Punishment of even small misdemeanours could be severe - conscription, cutting off of a body part and death. Whole families could be punished for the wrong-doing of one family member,
• many of his administrative policies, especially the system of prefectures and counties under central authority, were strongly opposed by some Confucian scholars. They fulminated against him and wrote criticisms. Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of histories of former states except Qin and also books by schools of thought different to his own. A year later he had buried alive 400 intellectuals who spoke out against him.

Qin Shi Huang died of an illness in 210 BC, aged 50, while on an inspection tour in southern China.

After his death, his second son Qin Er Shi (230 - 207 BC) became Emperor and the unpopularity of the regime deepened. In 209 BC a peasant uprising commenced and spread across the country. Despite setbacks the peasant armies eventually prevailed and in 206 BC Qin rule was overthrown. For the next four years the two leaders of the peasant armies fought battles against each other. Finally Liu Bang (256 - 195 BC) was victorious and in 202 BC declared himself Emperor under the title of Han Gao Zu establishing the Han Dynasty.

Although the Qin Dynasty collapsed after only 14 years, the ensuring Han Dynasty lasted four centuries. The Han was an age of economic and political expansion which consolidated Qin Shi Huang's reforms into the political patterns of later Chinese government. The unification of China by Qin Shi Huang ushered in an imperial era that was essentially maintained until one hundred years ago.

A lasting significance of Qin Shi Huang's unification of what we now know as China is that it precluded this vast expanse of land going the way of Europe with it numerous competing national states.

Qin is pronounced "chin" and is the origin of the word "china".

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