12/12/2016 Biography for Kids: Emperor Qin Shi Huang
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Ancient ChinaEmperor Qin Shi Huang
History for Kids >> Biography >> Ancient China
Occupation: Emperor of ChinaReign: 221 BC to 210 BCBorn: 259 BCDied: 210 BCBest known for: First Emperor of China, established the Qin Dynasty
Biography:
Early Life
Prince Zheng was born in 259 BC. His father was king of the Qin state. At the time Zheng was born, China wasdivided up into 7 major states. These states fought each other all the time. Historians call this time in Chinesehistory the Warring States period.
Growing up as a prince, Zheng was well educated. He learned aboutChina's history and also about war. He would someday rule the Qin andwould lead his warriors into battle against the other states.
Becoming King
When Zheng was just thirteen years old his father died. Zheng was nowking at a very young age. For the first several years, a regent helped himto rule the land, but by the time he was 22, King Zheng took full control.He was very ambitious. He wanted to conquer the other Chinese statesand unite China under one rule.
Uniting China and Becoming Emperor
Once he had complete control of the state of Qin, King Zheng set out toconquer the other six Chinese states. He took them on one by one. Thefirst state he conquered was the Han state. Then he quickly conquered theZhao and the Wei. Next he took on the powerful Chu state. Once the Chustate was defeated the remaining Yan and Qi states fell easily.
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Now King Zheng was leader of all of China. He declared himself emperorand changed his name to Shi Huang, which meant "first emperor".
Organizing the Empire
Qin Shi Huang did much to organize his new empire. He wanted it to run smoothly for thousands of years. Heestablished reforms in many areas including:
Government Emperor Qin did not want the conquered states to think of themselves as independentnations. He divided the country into administrative units. There were 36 "commanderies" which werefurther divided into districts and counties. He also declared that government positions would be appointedaccording to people's abilities.Economy Emperor Qin also unified China by establishing a common currency (money) and standardunits of measure. With everyone using the same money and measurements, the economy ran muchsmoother.Writing Another important reform was a standard way of writing. There were many ways of writing inChina at the time. Under Emperor Qin, everyone was required to teach and use the same type of writing.Construction Emperor Qin made a number of improvements to the infrastructure of China. He had a vastnetwork of roads and canals built throughout the country. This helped to improve trade and travel. He alsobegan the building of the Great Wall of China. He had many of the existing walls throughout the countryconnected to form a long wall that would protect China from the invaders to the north.
A Tyrant
Although Emperor Qin was a skilled leader, he also was a tyrant. He outlawed most forms of religion requiringpeople to be loyal and obedient only to the government. He also ordered that most of the existing books beburned. He wanted history to begin with his rule and the Qin dynasty. Those scholars who did not bring theirbooks to be burned were killed.
Building a Tomb
Today Qin Shi Huang may be most famous for his tomb. He had over 700,000 workers constructing his tombthroughout his life. They built a vast terracotta army of 8,000 soldiers, horses, and chariots that he thoughtwould protect him in the afterlife. Go here to learn more about the terracotta army.
Death
Qin Shi Huang died while traveling on a tour of Eastern China in 210 BC. His second son, Huhai, was on thetrip with him. He wanted to become emperor, so he hid his father's death and forged a letter from his father tohis older brother telling him to commit suicide. After his brother killed himself, Huhai became emperor.
Interesting Facts about Emperor Qin
He was obsessed with trying to live forever. He had his best scientists work on finding an elixir ofimmortality that would enable him to never die.Emperor Qin had thought his family would rule China for thousands of years. However, the empirecollapsed only three years after his death.Some documents indicate that he was the son of a lowly merchant and not the son of the King of Qin.When he first became King of Qin, there were many assassination attempts on his life. Perhaps this iswhat made him so obsessed with living forever.
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For more information on the civilization of Ancient China:
Overview Timeline of Ancient China Geography of Ancient China Silk Road The Great Wall Forbidden City Terracotta Army The Grand Canal Battle of Red Cliffs Opium Wars Inventions of Ancient China Glossary and Terms
Dynasties Major Dynasties Xia Dynasty Shang Dynasty Zhou Dynasty Han Dynasty Period of Disunion Sui Dynasty Tang Dynasty Song Dyanasty Yuan Dynasty Ming DynastyQing Dynasty
Culture Daily Life in Ancient China Religion Mythology Numbers and Colors Legend of Silk Chinese Calendar Festivals Civil Service Chinese Art ClothingEntertainment and Games Literature
People Confucius Kangxi Emperor Genghis Khan Kublai Khan Marco Polo Puyi (The Last Emperor) Emperor Qin Emperor Taizong Sun Tzu Empress Wu Zheng He Emperors of China
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