Qin shihuang di (秦始皇帝
Qín Shǐ Huáng-dì"First Emperor Qin"), real name Ying Zheng (嬴政
Yíng Zhèng, 259-210 BC BC) - the ruler of the Qin kingdom (from 246 BC), who put an end to the centuries-old era of the Warring States. By 221 BC. NS. he established sole rule over the entire territory of Inner China and went down in history as the ruler of the first centralized Chinese state. The Qin dynasty he founded, planning to rule China for 10 thousand generations, was overthrown a few years after his death.
early years
Ying Zheng was born in 259 BC, in Handan (in the Zhao principality), where his father Zhuang Xiangwang was a hostage. At birth, he was given the name Zheng ("first"). His mother was a concubine, formerly associated with the influential courtier Lu Buwei. It was thanks to the latter's intrigues that Zheng inherited the throne, which gave rise to rumors that Lu Buwei is Zheng's real father.
When Zheng became the Qin ruler at the age of 13, his state was already the most powerful in the Celestial Empire. Everything went to the unification of China led by the Qin dynasty. The states of Central China looked at Shaanxi (a mountainous northern country that served as the core of the Qin possessions) as a barbarian borderland. The state structure of the Qin kingdom was distinguished by a powerful military machine and numerous bureaucracy.
Until 238, Zheng was considered a minor, and Lu Buwei was in charge of all affairs as regent and first minister. During these years, the future emperor absorbed the totalitarian ideology of legism popular at court, the most prominent representative of which at that time was Han Fei. When Zheng was 22 years old, he ordered the execution of his stepmother's lover (because of the same title, confused with his mother), and Lu Buwei, on suspicion of plotting a rebellion, sent him into exile.
In subsequent years, Zheng seized one after another all six states, into which China was at that time divided. At the same time, he did not disdain any methods - neither the creation of a network of spies, nor bribes, nor the help of wise advisers, the first place among which was taken by Li Si. At 32, he took possession of the principality in which he was born, then his mother died. The following year, Jing Ke, an assassin sent by Prince Yan Dan, was caught. At the age of 39, Zheng unified all of China for the first time in history and assumed the throne name Qin Shihuang.
Title of the first emperor
The title of the first emperor in Qin script.
Given name Ying Zheng was given to the future emperor by the name of the month of birth (正), the first in the calendar, the child received the name Zheng (政). In the complex system of names and titles of antiquity, the name and surname were not written side by side, as is the case in modern China, therefore the actual name of Qin Shihuang is extremely limited in use.
The unprecedented power of the ruler of the imperial era required the introduction of a new title. Qin Shihuang-di literally means "the founding emperor [of the] Qin dynasty." The old name Wang, translated as "monarch, prince, king", was no longer acceptable: with the weakening of Zhou, the title of Wang was devalued. Originally terms Huang("Sovereign, august") and Di("Emperor") were used separately (see. Three sovereigns and five emperors). Their unification was intended to emphasize the autocracy of a new type of ruler.
The imperial title thus created lasted until the Xinhai Revolution of 1912, until the very end of the imperial era. It was used both by those dynasties whose power extended to the entire Celestial Empire, and those who only sought to reunite its parts under their own command.
Rule by a united China
The colossal campaign to unite the Celestial Empire was completed in 221, after which the new emperor carried out a series of reforms to consolidate the conquered unity: under the slogan "all chariots with an axis of the same length, all hieroglyphs - standard writing", a single network of roads was created, and disparate hieroglyphic systems were abolished conquered kingdoms, a unified monetary system was introduced, as well as a system of measures and weights.
Qin Shi Huang bypass routes.
Xianyang was chosen as the capital of the empire in the original Qin possessions, not far from modern Xian. Dignitaries and nobles of all conquered states were transferred there. In order to suppress centrifugal tendencies on the ground, the empire was divided into 36 military districts. As a sign of unity, the defensive walls that divided the former kingdoms were demolished. Only the northern part of these walls was preserved, its separate sections were fortified and interconnected: thus the newly formed Great Wall of China separated the Middle State from the barbarian nomads.
During the last ten years of his life, the emperor rarely visited his capital. He constantly inspected various parts of his state, making sacrifices in local temples, informing local deities about his achievements and erecting stelae with self-glorification. By touring his possessions, the emperor initiated the tradition of monarch's ascents to Mount Taishan. He was the first of the Chinese rulers to go to the seashore.
As can be understood from the "Shi Ji" of the Han historian Sima Qian, the emperor was most worried about the impending death. During his wanderings, he got acquainted with wizards and sorcerers, hoping to find out from them the secret of the elixir of immortality. In 219 he sent an expedition to the islands of the Eastern Sea (possibly to Japan) in search of him. Confucian scholars saw this as an empty superstition, for which they paid dearly: as the legend says, the emperor ordered to bury 460 of them alive in the ground. In 213, Li Si persuaded the emperor to burn all the books, with the exception of those that dealt with agriculture, medicine and fortune-telling. In addition, books from the imperial collection and the chronicles of the Qin rulers were spared (see Burning of books and burying of scholars).
In the last years of his life, disillusioned with the prospect of gaining immortality, Qin Shihuang traveled less and less around the borders of his state, fencing off from the world in his huge palace complex. Avoiding communication with mortals, the emperor expected to be seen as a deity. Instead, the totalitarian rule of the first emperor generated a growing number of disaffected every year. Having revealed three conspiracies, the emperor had no reason to trust any of his entourage. He died in 210 or 209 during the next detour of his possessions. The adherents of the previous dynasties immediately rushed into the struggle for the division of the imperial inheritance, and in 206 his entire family was exterminated.
Tomb
Bronze chariot from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang
Nothing illustrates the power of Qin Shi Huang better than the size of the burial complex, which was built during the life of the emperor. The construction of the tomb began immediately after the formation of the empire near present-day Xi'an. According to Sima Qian, 700,000 workers and artisans were involved in the creation of the mausoleum. The perimeter of the outer wall of the burial was 6 km.
The burial mound of the first emperor was identified by archaeologists only in 1974. His research continues to this day, and the burial place of the emperor is still awaiting an autopsy. The mound was crowned with a certain pyramidal room, according to which, according to one version, the soul of the deceased was supposed to rise to heaven.
A countless terracotta army was sculpted to accompany the emperor in the afterlife. The faces of the warriors are individualized, their bodies were previously brightly colored. Unlike his predecessors - for example, the rulers of the Shang state (c. 1300-1027 BC) - the emperor refused mass human sacrifices.
The Qin Shihuang Tomb complex was the first Chinese site to be included by UNESCO in the Register of World Cultural Heritage Sites.
Reputation
Monument to Qin Shihuang at the mound with his tomb.
Qin Shihuang's reign was based on the principles of legism set forth in the Han Fei-tzu treatise. All the surviving written evidence of Qin Shihuang is passed through the prism of the Confucian worldview of Han historiographers, primarily Sima Qian. It is very likely that the information they cite about the burning of all books, the prohibition of Confucianism and the burial of the followers of Confucius alive reflected the Confucian anti-Qin propaganda directed against the Legists.
The traditional portrayal of Qin Shihuang as a monstrous tyrant is tendentiously exaggerated. It can be considered established that all subsequent states of China, starting with Western Han, inherited the administrative-bureaucratic system of government that was created under the first emperor.
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Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng
Qin Shi-Huangdi. Drawing of the 18th century.
"The exploiter of the working people"
Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng (259-210 BC), ruler of the Qin kingdom (246-221), emperor of China (221-210), founder of the Qin dynasty. As the ruler of the Qin kingdom, he conquered 6 Chinese kingdoms and created a single centralized empire. During his reign in 215, the construction of the Great Wall of China began. He was the unrestricted head of state with supreme legislative, executive and judicial power; introduced harsh laws, the institution of inspectors to combat separatist tendencies and a system of punishing government officials. In an effort to prevent any possibility of criticism of his regime, Qin Shi Huang Ti in 213 issued a decree on the burning of humanitarian literature kept in private collections, and in 212 he executed 460 Confucians, accusing them of inciting the population to oppose the imperial power. In connection with continuous wars, the construction of fortifications, canals, palaces, etc., tax oppression and exploitation of the working people intensified, which after the death of Qin Shi Huang was the cause of numerous popular uprisings that led to the collapse of the Qin empire.
Used materials of the Soviet military encyclopedia. Volume 8: Tashkent - Rifle Cell. 688 s., 1980.
Qin Shi-Huangdi (259-210 BC). The son of King Chuang-hsiang (249-247 BC) from the Qin kingdom (originally located in the territory of the modern province of Gansu, near the northwestern limits of the then Sinicized world), the future Qin Shi-huangdi was born in 259 BC. n. NS. under the name Zhao Zheng. The patronymic Zheng reminds us that the supreme rulers of the Qin kingdom came from the Zhao kingdom to the east. His mother, who for some time was the beloved concubine of Lu Buwei, was presented by this latter to his father, who by that time had not yet become king Chuang-hsiang. A few months later, she gave birth to the future unifier and unifier of China. It takes quite a bit of imagination to imagine that she was already pregnant when she passed from Lü Buwei's bed to Chuang-hsiang's. It was enough for a significant number of historians, especially since the young prince, who became King Qing Cheng-wang in 247 BC, at the age of thirteen, appointed Lu Buwei as the first minister, and the above-mentioned first minister apparently retained excellent relationship with the queen-mother, her former favorite. I remember here Louis XIV and Mazarin ... Li Si, at that time a client (in the Latin sense of the word) of Lu Buwei, also becomes an adviser to King Cheng-wang, to whom the latter listens very much. Until 238 BC, when Zheng was supposed to be twenty-two years old and he was to become an adult, the Qin kingdom, acting under the direction of Lu Buwei and Li Si, "polishes its weapons" and continues to build its excellent war machine. which will have to crush all the Chinese kingdoms. When King Zheng-wang became an adult, he had to resist a rebellion fueled by Lao Ai, a sinister figure who was his mother's lover. The next year, Li Si convinces the king that Lu Buwei did not stand aside from this rebellion, that his power is excessive, and his ambitions are enormous. This latter loses confidence in the eyes of the king and, fearing being executed, commits suicide in 235 BC. During this period, listening to the advice of his entourage, and especially Li Si, the king exercises reign with an iron hand and uses all means (diplomatic and military shocks and provocations, skillful play on the systematic corruption of the advisers of other kings) to build up his power and increase his dominions. His last adversary would fall in 221 BC, and King Qin Cheng-wang would become the master of the entire aggregate of the Sinicized countries. The Zhou dynasty ended its slide to the bottom with a general indifference to this fact. It began in 256 BC, when the king of the Qin dynasty deprived the king of Nan-wan, whose reign lasted fifty-nine years, the last semblance of his power. The earth was free to satisfy the highest ambitions. King Zheng-wang instructs his advisers to pray to him to voluntarily accept the imperial throne. He goes to restore, to his great benefit and glory, titles that were given to the Sons of Heaven in legendary times: juan, which translates as "supreme ruler", and di, "emperor". He takes the name of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty: Qin Shi-Huangdi, choosing for his dynasty the name that bore the kingdom of Qin (whence the common European word "Chine" comes from). By issuing decrees, carrying out mass deportations and capital punishments, the empire is unified to the smallest detail: its thirty-six governorships acquire uniform measures (weights, lengths, etc.), the same types of carriage axles, the same writing, the same money. The emperor embarks on large-scale voyages, traveling the length and breadth of the empire and dotting it with palaces, residences and memorial monuments. In 219 BC. his visit to Tai Shan, one of the sacred Chinese mountains, located in the territory of modern Shandong province, results in grandiose religious ceremonies. In an effort to ensure the enduring character of his dynasty, Qin Shih-huangdi expresses a desire to make any rebellion impossible - even at the cost of executing potential oppositionists in advance.
In 213 BC. Li Si advises him to burn all books (with the exception of those related to the fields of medicine, pharmacy, divination and agriculture), all historical chronicles, except for those relating to the kingdom of Qin, as well as the scientists themselves (with the exception of a few that were officially recognized as "scholars of vast knowledge") who would refuse to bring their library to the stake. This is exactly what has been done. But also his own longevity worries to a large extent the supreme ruler, and soon Taoist magicians are showered with all kinds of benefits for those crumbs of the promise of immortality that they fish out. Gigantic construction projects are being arranged, in which hundreds of thousands of political prisoners who are forced to hard labor are participating. Convinced that he must remain invisible to his subordinates, the emperor puts to death anyone who divulges his location. During one of his trips in 210 BC. he dies, leaving the power, which, as a result of the used despotic methods, became fragile and collapsed in two years. But its model in a number of areas continued to be preserved - right up to our time. The tomb of the emperor, which the historian Sima Qian(141-86 BC) described as a titanic structure and which, no doubt, cost the lives of thousands of workers executed in order to keep it secret, was discovered near Xi'an, and today it is one of the most visited monuments China.
Kamenarovich I. Classical China. M., Veche, 2014, p. 396-399.
Terracotta warriors from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shih Huang. About 210 B.C.
The image is reprinted from the site http://slovari.yandex.ru/
Chinese emperor
Qin Shi Huangdi (258-210 BC) - Chinese emperor. Originally he was named Ying Zheng and was the crown prince of the Qin kingdom. In 238, Ying Zheng came to the throne. In the first years of his reign, the Qin kingdom was actually ruled by a large dignitary, Lü Bu-wei. After getting rid of his tutelage over time, Ying Zheng began to pursue an independent policy aimed at conquering neighboring kingdoms and creating a vast empire.
Back in 241, the kingdoms of Wei, Han, Zhao and Chu entered into a military alliance against the kingdom of Qin. For several years Ying Zheng successfully resisted the allied aggression, and soon he himself went on the offensive. In 230 he subdued the kingdom of Han, in 228 - the kingdom of Zhao, in 225 - the kingdom of Wei, in 222 - the kingdoms of Chu and Yan, in 221 - the kingdom of Qi on the Shan Tung Peninsula. As a result of continuous wars, a huge Chinese empire was created. Ying Zheng abandoned the former title of Tian-tzu ("Son of Heaven") and adopted a new one - Qin Shi Huangdi ("First Emperor of Qin"), which at the same time became his new name, under which he went down in history.
Having made a short respite, Qin Shi Huangdi continued the wars of conquest. In the south, he succeeded in subjugating the so-called Yue kingdoms located in forested areas up to the South China Sea, including present-day North Vietnam. In the north, the emperor drove the Xiongnu nomads across the Yellow River. In order to stop their raids on the territory of China, Qin Shi Huangdi ordered the construction of a grandiose defensive structure - the Great Wall of China.
Initially, 300 thousand people from the army were sent to build the wall, but this was not enough. Then the emperor sent them to help them another 2 million people from among the prisoners of war and criminals. Many workers died from unbearable working conditions; their corpses were buried here in an earthen embankment near the wall. It took over 10 years to build the wall. The Great Wall of China stretches for almost 4 thousand km. Along its entire length, watchtowers were built every 60-100 m. The height of the wall reached 10 meters, its width was such that 5-6 riders could freely pass along it. In several places gates were set up, which were well guarded; they became points of trade with nomads. The construction of the wall demanded from the Chinese people an incredible effort and great loss of life.
Following the example of the reformer Shang Yang Qin, Shi Huangdi divided his empire into forty regions (jun), which in turn were divided into districts (xian). The population of the empire was forbidden to use ethnic self-names; instead, a common name was introduced - "black-headed". The emperor also abolished aristocratic titles, thereby equating the tribal aristocracy with "black-headed" ones. He made no exception even for his sons and brothers, relegating them to commoners.
In connection with the new territorial-administrative division, Qin Shi Huangdi introduced new legislation, a unified system of bureaucracy, as well as inspector supervision, which controlled the activities of the entire administrative apparatus and was personally subordinate to the emperor.
In the new table of ranks, the criterion of nobility was wealth and personal service to the emperor. By a special decree, Qin Shi Huang ordered to withdraw all bronze weapons from the population. It was forbidden to acquire iron weapons on pain of death.
Under Qin Shi Huangdi, measures of weight, length and capacity were unified. A monetary reform was also carried out, establishing a single copper coin. The emperor ordered to simplify the hieroglyphic writing.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the initiator of extensive construction activities. Temples and palaces were built in all cities of the empire. However, the emperor paid special attention to his capital, Xianyang. He spared no expense to decorate Xianyang. The city stretches along both banks of the Weihe River, over which a covered bridge was thrown. On the left bank was the city itself with numerous streets, alleys, parks and magnificent palaces of the emperor and the highest nobility. On the right bank of the Weihe, there is a vast imperial park. In the center of this park, a palace was built that surpassed in its luxury everything that had been created earlier. For example, the throne room of the palace could accommodate 10 thousand people.
Qin Shi Huangdi ordered to destroy all books of historical and philosophical content, only treatises on agronomy, mathematics and other practical knowledge were left. The emperor banned all private schools, leaving only state educational institutions in which teaching was conducted under the close supervision of special inspectors. Qin Shi Huangdi persecuted Confucianism; thousands of followers of the great Confucius were buried alive in the ground or sent to build the Great Wall of China.
During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, China raised taxes several times. By the end of his reign, the land tax had reached two-thirds of the income of the farmers. This sparked a wave of protest. In some areas of China, uprisings broke out, which were suppressed by army forces with particular brutality: usually the entire population of the rebellious district was massacred. Many members of the aristocracy were also unhappy with the brutal rule of Qin Shi Huang and repeatedly attempted on his life. But all their attempts ended in failure.
Qin Shi Huangdi died at the age of 48. He was buried in a magnificent tomb, in which, in addition to the coffin with the body of the emperor, there were 6 thousand clay figures of soldiers in full armor. This 6,000-strong "army" was supposed to "guard" the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi.
Used materials of the book: Tikhanovich Yu.N., Kozlenko A.V. 350 grand. A short biography of the rulers and generals of antiquity. The Ancient East; Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome. Minsk, 2005.
Pacified the Celestial Empire
Qin Shi-Huangdi. The Chinese emperor from the Qin dynasty, who ruled from 221-210. BC Genus. 259 B.C. + 210 B.C. X.
The first emperor of Qin, Shi-huangdi, was the son of the Qin Chuang-hsiang-wang from his beloved concubine. At birth, he received the name Zheng ("first"). He was 13 years old when his father died and Zheng became the ruler of Qin. By this time, the Qin kingdom was already one of the largest and most powerful Chinese states. Zheng-wang had to make the last effort in order to unite the whole country under his rule. At that time, in the east, the Qing were opposed by five kingdoms: Chu, Han, Wei, Zhao and Yan; behind them on the shore of the ocean was Qi, in which they all looked for support. Each of the six eastern kingdoms individually was much weaker than Qin, but together they represented a serious strength. In order to destroy their alliance, Zheng-wang spent a huge amount of gold to bribe the highest dignitaries of Qi. As a result, most of them became Qin's agents and pursued his policies. The advisers persuaded the Qi Jian-wang to conclude an alliance with the Qin and abandon the support of their eastern neighbors. As a result, the Qing people were able to defeat them all one by one. In 234 BC, the Qin general Huan Qi defeated the Zhao army near Pingyang, executed 100 thousand people and took possession of this city. In 230 BC, the Qing people captured the Han Wang An, occupied all the lands that belonged to him, and liquidated the kingdom of Han. In 229 BC X. Zheng-wang again sent a large army against Zhao. The following year, the Zhao Yu-miao-wang surrendered to the Qin commanders Wang Jian and Qiang Hui. But his brother Dai-wang Jia ruled in Dai for another six years. In 227 BC, the Qin army attacked the Yan kingdom. In 226 BC, she occupied the Yang Tszi-cheng. Yan Wang fled east to Liaodong, and began to rule there. In 225 BC, the Qin general Wang Ben attacked the Wei principality. He led a canal from the Yellow River and flooded Dalian with water. The city walls collapsed and the Wei van surrendered. After that, Qin completely took possession of the Wei lands. In 224 BC Wang Jian attacked Chu and reached Pinyoy. In 223 BC Chu Van Fu-chu was taken prisoner, and all of his possessions annexed to Qin. In 222 BC X. Cheng-wang sent a large army led by Wan Beng against the Yang Liaodong. Yansky van Xi was taken prisoner. On the way back, Wan Ben attacked Dai and captured Dai Wang Jia. After all these victories, the Qi kingdom turned out to be embraced by the Qin possessions on three sides. In 221 BC, the last Qi Wang Jian surrendered without a fight to Wang Beng. The unification of China was completed. Zheng-wang took the title of Shi-Huangdi (literally "the first ruler-emperor").
The inhabitants of the six eastern kingdoms became subjects of the Qin. For them, this meant not just a change of the ruler, but also in many respects a change in their entire way of life. The main ideology in Qin, in contrast to other kingdoms where Confucianism spread, was the teaching of fajia, or legism. Contrary to the views of the Confucians, the Legists believed that the prosperity of the state depends not on the virtues of the sovereign, but on the strict and unswerving observance of the laws. The political activities of Shi-Zuandi and his dignitaries were based only on the logic of the law. In this regard, any deviation from the law for reasons of kindness or humanity was perceived as an unacceptable weakness. Severe justice was identified with the will of Heaven, and service to it, according to Shi-huang-di, was the main virtue of the sovereign. He had an iron will and did not tolerate any resistance. Soon, the entire population of the Celestial Empire felt the tough hand of the new emperor. Sima Qian describes the order in the Qin empire in the following way: “Firmness, decisiveness and extreme severity prevailed, all matters were decided on the basis of laws; it was believed that only cruelty and oppression without the manifestation of humanity, mercy, kindness and justice can correspond to the five virtuous forces. They were extremely zealous in the application of laws and for a long time did not have mercy on anyone. "
Qin also did not resemble any of the Zhou kingdoms with its internal organization. Instead of a hierarchy of feudal rulers, the idea of centralization was strictly implemented here. Soon after the annexation of Qi, the question arose of how to deal with the conquered kingdoms. Some dignitaries advised Shi-Huangdi to send his sons there as rulers. However, the head of the court order Li Si did not agree with this decision and, referring to the sad example of the Zhou dynasty, stated: and fought with each other as sworn enemies, the sovereign princes increasingly attacked and killed each other, and the Zhou Son of the Sky was not able to stop these feuds. Now, thanks to your extraordinary talents, all the land among the seas is united into one whole and divided into regions and counties. If now all your sons and honored officials are generously endowed with income from incoming taxes, then this will be quite enough, and the Celestial Empire will become easier to govern. The absence of different opinions about the Celestial Empire is a means to establish calm and peace. If, however, to put the sovereign princes in the principalities again, it will be bad. " Shih Huangdi followed this advice. He divided the empire into 36 regions, in each region he appointed a chief - a show, a governor - a wei and an inspector - a jian. The provinces were divided into counties, the counties into districts, and the districts into volosts. To end strife, civil strife and riots, the entire civilian population was ordered to surrender their weapons. (In Xianyang, bells were melted from it, as well as 12 metal statues, each weighing 1,000 tribute (about 30 tons).) To suppress any separatism, 120 thousand representatives of the nobility of the former principalities were forcibly resettled to the capital of Qin Xanyang. In all the conquered kingdoms, Shi-Huang ordered to destroy the city walls, tear down the defensive dams on the rivers and remove all obstacles and barriers to free movement. The construction of new roads was launched everywhere, which were necessary to establish quick communication between different parts of the empire. In 212 BC, construction began on a strategic road 1800 li (about 900 km) long, which was to connect Juyuan and Yunyang. The emperor introduced a unified system of laws and measurements, measures of weight, capacity and length. For all carts, a single axis length was stopped, and a single outline of the hieroglyphs was introduced in the letter.
At the same time, having pacified the Celestial Empire, Shi-Huangdi launched an offensive against the surrounding barbarians. In 215 BC, he sent an army of 300,000 to the north against the Hu tribe and captured the lands of Henan (the northern bend of the Yellow River in what is now Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region). (Sima Qian writes that this grandiose campaign was undertaken due to the fact that Shi-Huangdi became aware of the ancient prophecy that "Qin will be destroyed by the Husts." Four new regions were formed here, where Shi-Huangdi ordered to exile all kinds of offenders and criminals, as well as people who fled from punishment, hiding from the payment of duties, or given for debts to other people's homes. In the northeast, the emperor began to fight the warlike Xunu (Huns). From Yuzhong along the Yellow River and eastward to the Yinshan Mountains, he established 34 new counties and ordered the construction of a wall along the Yellow River as a barrier against nomads. By forcibly resettling and exiling, he filled the newly formed counties with the population.
The brutal order established in the Qin Empire was censured by the Confucians. Since they first of all looked for examples for their sermons in the past and therefore tried to idealize antiquity, Shi-Huangdi in 213 BC issued a decree on the burning of all ancient chronicles with the exception of the Qin annals. All private individuals were ordered to hand over and destroy the copies of Shi Jing and Shu Jing that they had kept, as well as works of non-legal schools (primarily Confucians). It was ordered to subject to public execution all those who, using the examples of antiquity, dare to condemn modernity. Anyone who was found to have forbidden books was ordered to be sent to forced labor - to the construction of the Great Wall. On the basis of this decree, 460 prominent Confucians were executed in the capital alone. Even more of them were sent to hard labor. Possessing a large number of convicts thanks to the brutal legislation, Shi-huangdi launched a large-scale construction. In addition to a large part of the Great Wall of China and new roads, many palaces were built during his reign. The new imperial palace, Epan, was supposed to symbolize the power of the Qin empire, the construction of which began near Xianyang. It was assumed that it would measure 170 by 800 m and surpass in size all other structures in the Middle Kingdom. According to Sima Qian, more than 700,000 criminals sentenced to castration and hard labor were driven to this grandiose construction site. In addition to Epan, 270 small palaces were built in the vicinity of Xianyane. All the rooms in them were decorated with curtains and canopies, and beautiful concubines lived everywhere. Nobody, except for the people closest to the emperor, knew in which of the palaces Shi-huangdi was at the moment. (In general, everything concerning the private life of the emperor was kept in strict secrecy. He did not like talkers very much and severely punished anyone suspected of this weakness. Sima Qian writes that once Shi-Huangdi was in the Liangshan palace and saw from the mountain, that his first adviser was accompanied by many chariots and horsemen. He did not like this. Someone from the retinue told the first adviser about the emperor’s displeasure, and he reduced the number of accompanying people. Shi-Huangdi was angry and said: “Someone from those around
my words!" They arranged an interrogation, but no one confessed. Then the emperor ordered the execution of everyone who was at that moment near him.)
However, in spite of all of the above, it is impossible to paint the reign of Shi-Huang with only black paints. He did a lot for the development of agriculture, as he understood that a rich peasantry loyal to power was the main guarantee of the prosperity of his empire. Contemporaries write that Shi Huang devoted all his time without a trace to business. He traveled the whole empire up and down and delved into literally all the little things of management. (As stated in one of the official inscriptions, “Our sovereign-emperor solves thousands of cases at the same time, so far and near - everything becomes clear to the end.”) Every day he weighed 1 tribute of reports received to him on the scales (that is, about 30 kg bamboo planks) and did not allow himself to rest until he looked through them all and gave the appropriate orders.
But as it usually happens, the population of the country was able to appreciate the positive side of the deep transformations he carried out much later, while the negative one was immediately evident. In the memoirs of descendants, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty remained primarily as a cruel and narcissistic despot who mercilessly oppressed his people. Indeed, the inscriptions of Shi-Huangdi indicate that he had colossal self-conceit and to some extent considered himself even
involved in divine powers. (For example, in the inscription on Mount Guiji, among other things, it was said: "The emperor unravels the laws inherent in all things, checks and tests the essence of all affairs. By correcting the mistakes of people, he exercises justice. Descendants will respectfully accept his laws, permanent government will be eternal , and nothing - not chariots, nor boats - will capsize. ") It was officially proclaimed that the world order established by Shi-Huangdi would exist for" ten thousand generations. " It seemed quite natural that the "eternal empire" should also have an eternal ruler. The emperor spent huge sums of money in search of a potion that would grant immortality, but he could not find it. Apparently, the very thought that, despite all his greatness and boundless power, he was also subject to death, like the last of his subjects, was offensive to him. Sima Qian writes that Shi-Huangdi did not tolerate talking about death, and none of those close to him dared even touch on this topic. Therefore, in 210 BC, when Shi-Huangdi fell seriously ill while bypassing the eastern, seaside, regions, no preparations were made for the funeral. He himself, realizing at last that his days were numbered, sent his eldest son Fu Su a short note with the following content: "Meet the funeral chariot in Xianyang and bury me." This was his last command. Shi-huandi died, the close ones, fearing unrest, hid his death. Only after his body arrived in the capital was official mourning declared. Long before his death, Shi-Huandi began to build a huge crypt in Mount Lishan. Sima Qian writes: “The crypt was filled with copies of palaces brought and lowered there, figures of officials of all ranks, rare things and extraordinary jewelry. The craftsmen were ordered to make crossbow bows so that, installed there, they would shoot at those who try to dig a passage and get into the tomb. Large and small rivers and seas were made from mercury, and mercury spontaneously overflowed into them. On the ceiling they painted a picture of the sky, on the floor - the outlines of the earth. The lamps were filled with ren-yui grease in the expectation that the fire would not go out for a long time. During the funeral, the heir of Ershi who took power said: "All childless inhabitants of the rear chambers of the palace of the late emperor should not be driven away," and ordered all of them to be buried with the deceased. There were many dead. When the emperor's coffin was already lowered down, someone said that the craftsmen who made the whole device and hid the valuables knew everything and could blabber about the hidden treasures. Therefore, when the funeral ceremony was over and everything was covered, the middle door of the aisle was blocked. After that, having lowered the outer door, all the artisans and those who filled the grave with valuables were tightly walled up, so that no one came out of there. Grass and trees were planted on top to make the grave look like an ordinary mountain.
Used materials from the book:All the monarchs of the world. The Ancient East. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 2001.
Read on:
Historical Persons of China (Biographical Index).
Russian school history textbooks are not very detailed. Hardly everyone understands that the III century BC. e., when Qin Shi Huang Ti, the first Chinese emperor, united the warring disunited kingdoms, this is also the time of the Punic Wars. And the events that took place in the East are no less significant than those that shook Europe and its closest neighbors.
Qin Shi Huandi instilled an ideology of order and a strong central government, which is quite relevant for modern humanity. He wanted to live forever. As a result, if not forever, then his funeral pyramid lives for a very long time, which became the largest archaeological sensation of the 20th century. The so-called Terracotta Army was discovered there - a unique monument that was brought to Moscow in the 21st century and exhibited in the State Historical Museum.
Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BC. NS. in Handing, in the Zhao principality of the Qin kingdom. His father Chuangsiang-wang was a ruler, this follows from his name, because "wang" means "prince" or "king".
The mother was a concubine. That is, Qin Shi Huang is a bastard (illegitimate, illegitimate child). Moreover, the mother passed to Chuangxiang-wang from the previous gentleman, the courtier Lü Buwei. And there were rumors that the son was really his. Lu Buwei, by the way, patronized the boy in every possible way. However, it was not very flattering to be his son, because, unlike Chuangsiang-wang, he was not a prince and even engaged in trade.
The origin can explain a lot about Qin Shi Huang's character. History knows many examples of how it is the illegitimate, and therefore, the wounded, who are desperately striving for power. The great wrote about this many times. There is such a special desire - to prove to everyone that, although you are not as noble as others, you are the strongest.
The boy was named Ying Zheng, which means "first." An ingenious guess! After all, he actually became the first Chinese emperor.
As a result of complex court intrigues, Lü Buwei was able to ensure that at the age of 13 Zheng became the ruler of the Qin state - one of the seven Chinese kingdoms. China was going through a period of fragmentation at that time, and each of the principalities had relative independence.
The Chinese civilization is one of the oldest in the world. Its beginning dates back to the XIV century BC. NS. It originated, like some other ancient cultures of the East, in the valley of two great rivers - the Yellow River and the Yangtze. River civilization is highly dependent on irrigation. By fighting with neighbors, it is possible to simply destroy the irrigation system that provides the fields with water. Both drought and flooding can cause crop loss, which means famine.
In the VIII-V centuries BC. NS. China was going through a phase of fragmentation and internal wars. However, even in spite of this, the ancient Chinese were characterized by the awareness of themselves as a single great civilization, the Celestial Empire - a wonderful world, surrounded by "evil barbarians" and therefore forced to defend themselves. At the same time, the Chinese actually had something to be proud of. They already had a written language, they mastered metallurgy and were able to create a perfect irrigation system.
It should be noted that the 7 Chinese kingdoms are a semi-legendary concept. For example, Britain on the islands in the Middle Ages also began with the so-called 7 Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. It is a kind of symbol of fragmentation. The Chinese principalities are Yan (northeast), Zhao (north), Wei (northwest), Qin (also northwest), Qi (east), Han (center), and Chun (south).
An important role in overcoming the mosaic disunity was played by the Qin kingdom, located on the northwestern border, in the foothills, in the Yellow River bend. It was not the most advanced economically, because its main forces went to restrain the barbarians who were advancing from the northwest, including the Huns, the future Huns. This is what prompted the inhabitants of the Qin kingdom to create a military organization more powerful than that of their neighbors.
Researchers compare the internal structure of the Qin kingdom with the military organization of Sparta. There are such states - not the most advanced economically, but the most forcedly organized. The strictest discipline, excellent weaponry - this pushes them to the front ranks. So Qin turned out to be the most noticeable among the 7 Chinese kingdoms.
Zheng's first 8 years on the throne didn't really rule. Power was in the hands of his patron Lü Buwei, who called himself regent and first minister, also receiving the official title of “second father”.
Young Zheng was imbued with a new ideology, the center of which at that time was the Qin principality. She received the name legalism, or the school of law. It was the ideology of totalitarian power. Boundless despotism is generally characteristic of the Ancient East. Let us recall the ancient Egyptian pharaohs who recognized themselves as gods among people. And the rulers of Ancient Assyria said about themselves: "I am the king, the king of kings."
In ancient China, the ideology of legalism replaced the philosophy that was developed about 300 years before Shih Huangdi by the famous thinker Confucius (Master Kun, as he is called in the documents). He organized and led the first private school in China. Everyone was accepted into it, and not only the children of aristocrats, because the main idea of Confucius is to morally re-educate society through the re-education of rulers and officials.
This is in many ways close, for example, to the views of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who in the V-IV centuries BC. e., about a century after Confucius, also spoke about the need to reeducate the rulers and even tried to move on to practical activities. Plato, as you know, irritated one of the tyrants to such an extent that he sold him into slavery.
Confucius, according to the famous historian of ancient China Sima Qian, offered his services to 70 rulers, saying: "If someone uses my ideas, I can do something useful in just one year." But nobody responded.
Confucius' ideas anticipate the philosophy of humanism. His working people should be subordinate and hard-working, but the state is obliged to take care of them and protect them - then there will be order in society. It was Confucius who taught: "Office does not always make a person a sage." And his dream was a sage in a high position.
As Sima Qian wrote, Confucius was dissatisfied with contemporary society, saddened that the path of the ancient rulers was abandoned. He collected and processed ancient hymns, poems about the unity of the people and power, about the need to obey the ruler, who must be kind to the people. He saw the social order as a close-knit family. Poet Confucius was credited with the authorship, but, apparently, he actually only collected these works.
In the opinion of the young Zheng, carried away by the ideas of legalism, the law is the supreme power coming from heaven, while the supreme ruler is the bearer of this supreme power.
238 BC NS. - Zheng began to rule on his own. He exiled Lu Buwei, suspecting - perhaps not groundlessly - of preparing a rebellion. Then he was forced. The rest of the conspirators were brutally executed. Among others - and the new lover of Zheng's mother, Lu Buwei's protege Lao Ai. The era of great executions began.
Qin Shi Huang Ti became the sovereign master of a small but rather warlike principality. For the first 17 years of his independent rule, he constantly fought. Someone Li Si became his right hand. He was a terrible person. Coming from the bottom, from a remote village, he turned out to be very cunning and very belligerent. Li Si ardently shared the ideology of legalism, giving it a certain cruel thrust: he assured that the law and the punishment that ensures it, and therefore rigidity and fear, is the basis of the happiness of the entire people.
By 221 BC. NS. the Qin ruler was able to conquer the remaining six Chinese kingdoms. On the way to his intended goal, he used both bribery and intrigue, but more often - military force. Subjugating everyone, Zheng declared himself emperor. It was from this time that he was called Shi Huangdi - "the founding emperor" (similar to the ancient Roman designation "Emperor Augustus"). The first emperor Qin Shi Huang said that tens of generations of his descendants would rule. He was cruelly wrong. But so far it seemed that this genus is actually invincible.
Qin Shi Huang's army was huge (its core was 300 thousand people) and had more and more advanced iron weapons. When she launched a campaign against the Huns, the barbarians were driven back, and the Chinese territory in the north-west was greatly expanded. To provide protection from a hostile environment, the first Chinese emperor ordered to connect the former fortifications of the six kingdoms with new fortifications.
This marked the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China. It was erected, so to speak, by the whole world, but not voluntarily, but compulsorily. The main building force was the soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners worked with them.
Strengthening the internal order, Qin Shi Huang did not stop fencing off from the external barbarian world. The mobilized population tirelessly built the Great Wall. The Chinese emperor and conqueror remained. He started wars in South China, on lands that were not part of the 7 kingdoms. Expanding his possessions in the south, Qin Shi Huandi advanced further and conquered the most ancient states of Vietnam, which were called Namviet and Aulak. There he began to forcibly resettle the colonists from China, which led to a partial mixing of ethnic groups.
Qin Shi Huang Ti thoroughly engaged in the internal affairs of the state. He is credited with the following slogan: "All chariots with an axis of the same length, all hieroglyphs of the standard spelling." This meant the principle of uniformity in literally everything. As you know, the ancient Romans also strove for standardization, in particular of measures and weights. And this was very correct, because it promoted the development of trade. However, in Rome, with all the craving for order and discipline, the elements of democracy were also preserved: the Senate, elective public offices, etc.
In China, however, uniformity was primarily supported by an unrestricted central government. The emperor was declared the son of heaven. There was even an expression "mandate of heaven" - a mandate from higher powers to absolute power over every person.
Concerned about uniformity, Qin Shi Huang has created an integral road network. In 212 BC. NS. he ordered a road to be drawn from north to east, and then straight south to the capital. At the same time, it was ordered to lay it straight. Carrying out the command of the emperor, the builders had to cut through the mountains and throw bridges over the rivers. It was a tremendous job, feasible only for the mobilized population of a totalitarian state.
The first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang, introduced a unified system of writing hieroglyphs (in the conquered kingdoms, the writing was somewhat different) and a general system of measures and weights. But along with these good deeds, there was also the organization of a unified system of punishments. The Legists argued: “It is possible to trust the mind of the people as much as the mind of a child. The child does not understand that suffering from a small punishment is a means to receive great benefit. "
The new capital of Shihuangdi made the city of Xianyang, not far from modern Xi'an, southwest of Beijing, in the center of modern China. The highest nobility from all six kingdoms - 120 thousand families - was moved there. In total, about a million people lived in the capital.
The entire territory of the state was divided into 36 administrative districts, so that the former borders of the kingdoms were forgotten. The new division did not correlate in any way with the former borders or with the ethnic characteristics of the population. Everything was based solely on violence.
Not a single person in the empire could have personal weapons. It was taken away from the population, and bells and 12 giant statues were cast from the resulting metal.
213 BC NS. - passed a law on the destruction of books. Li Si was his enthusiast. He considered it important that people forget about scholarship and never remember the past in order to avoid discrediting the present. The historian Sima Qian quoted the text of Li Si's appeal to the emperor.
The courtier informs with indignation: “Having heard about the publication of the decree on books, these people immediately begin to discuss it based on their own ideas! In their hearts they deny it and gossip in the side streets! They make a name for themselves by reviling the authorities. " All this was considered unacceptable. The people should not have any ideas of their own, and the decisions of the authorities were not subject to discussion.
Li Si's conclusions are as follows: it is impossible to put up with such a situation, since it is fraught with the weakening of the ruler. All books in the imperial archives must be burned, except for the Chronicle of the Qin Dynasty. The texts of Shijing and Shu-jing - ancient hymns and historical documents, the association of which is attributed to Confucius - should be seized and all should be burned indiscriminately. Only books on medicine and fortune-telling were not subject to destruction. "The one who wants to learn," writes Li Si, "let him take officials as mentors."
And of course, anyone who dares to talk about Shijing and Shu-ching should be executed, and the bodies of those executed should be displayed in the trading areas. If someone begins to criticize the present, referring to the past, and keep forbidden books, he should be executed along with the whole family, while annihilating three generations associated with this person.
About 50 years after the death of the emperor, books were found walled up in the wall of one of the old houses. When scientists died, they hid them in the hope of preserving knowledge. This has happened many times in history: the ruler exterminated scientists, but culture was subsequently revived. And China during the Han dynasty, which established itself on the throne after the successors of Shi Huang, returned to the ideas of Confucius. Although, the great sage was hardly able to recognize himself in new retellings.
His philosophy was largely based on patriarchal dreams of justice, equality, on the belief in the possibility of re-educating the ruler. After the rule of Legism, neo-Confucianism absorbed the idea of the inviolability of order, the natural division of people into higher and lower ones, and the need for a strong central government.
In order to enforce his laws, Emperor Qin Shi Huang created a whole system of severe punishments. The types of executions were even numbered for the sake of order. At the same time, killing a person with a blow of a stick or piercing with a spear are easy methods of execution. In many cases, others, more sophisticated, are needed. Shihuangdi constantly traveled around the country, personally monitoring the execution of his orders.
Steles were erected everywhere with inscriptions of the following, for example, content: “The great principle of governing the country is beautiful and clear. It can be passed on to descendants, and they will follow it without making any changes. " On another stele the following words appeared: "It is necessary that people everywhere now know what not to do." The steles of this emperor are the quintessence of despotism based on a prohibitive and punitive system of total control.
Qin Shi Huang built gigantic palaces for himself and commanded to connect them with intricate roads. No one was supposed to know where the emperor is at the moment. He always and everywhere appeared unexpectedly. He had reason to fear for his life. Shortly before his death, three conspiracies were exposed one after the other.
And Shih Huang did not want to die. He believed in the possibility of finding the elixir of immortality. To obtain it, numerous expeditions were equipped, including to the islands of the East Sea, probably to Japan. In ancient times, there was all sorts of rumors about this distant and inaccessible land. Therefore, it was not difficult to believe that the elixir of immortality is stored there.
Upon learning of the search for the elixir, the surviving Confucian scientists declared that this was a superstition, such a remedy could not exist. For such doubts, 400 or 460 Confucians were buried alive in the ground by order of the emperor.
Never having procured the coveted elixir, Qin Shi Huang focused his attention on his tomb. It is difficult to say whether he actually had the idea that his gigantic army was buried with him, and whether the emperor had to be persuaded to replace the living warriors with terracotta ones.
Shihuangdi died in 210 BC. e., at the next detour of the possessions. His confidence that the established order was unshakable did not materialize. The collapse of the system came pretty soon after his death. Li Si ensured the suicide of the direct heir, the eldest son of Emperor Fu Su, and then made sure that all the sons and daughters of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang were destroyed one after another. They were done away with by 206. Only his protégé Li Si, the youngest son of Shihuandi Er Shihuang, remained alive, whom Li Si considered a puppet, a toy in his hands.
But the chief eunuch of the palace was able to deal with Li Si himself. The former omnipotent courtier was put to death according to all the rules that he propagandized and imposed, at the same time according to the fourth, most monstrous version. A very instructive story for villains ...
206 BC NS. - killed the second emperor Er Shi Huang. A powerful movement of social protest unfolded in the country. After all, the population has suffered for many years from the cruel rules and the growth of taxes. It got to the point that about half of the income was taken from each person. Popular uprisings began, one of them, surprisingly, was successful. The Han Dynasty, which followed the Qin Dynasty, are the descendants of one of the victors who led a massive popular movement.
1974 - a Chinese peasant discovered a fragment of a clay sculpture in a village near the city of Xi'an, near the former capital of Shi Huang (video at the end of the article). Excavations began, and 8,000 terracotta soldiers were found, each about 180 cm high, that is, of normal human height. It was the Terracotta Army that accompanied the first emperor on his last journey. Burial of Qin Shi Huang himself has not yet been opened. But archaeologists believe that it is located there.
The first emperor of China became the hero of numerous books and films. It should be noted that he was very fond of the Nazis, who to this day mold their ideal out of him, forgetting how dear the country he created the order he created and how short-lived it turned out to be.
N. Basovskaya
The Qin kingdom occupied a special place in the history of ancient China. His prince, having conquered neighbors mired in civil strife, created a single state. This commander was a Qin Wang named Ying Zheng, who became known as the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
From wang to emperor
In the IV century BC. NS. the problem of the political unification of the ancient Chinese kingdoms occupied the minds of the progressive thinkers of that era, when objective prerequisites were gradually created for the creation of a single country, at the head of which would sit the Chinese emperor.
The unification was dictated by the logic of the political situation that developed in the 5th-3rd centuries BC. NS. The desire to eliminate the independence of neighboring kingdoms and the absorption of their territory led at that time to the fact that in the place of many dozen large and small hereditary possessions remained "seven strongest": Chu, Qi, Zhao, Han, Wei, Yan and Qin. The rulers of almost all of them cherished plans to completely defeat their rivals. They hoped that the first dynasty of Chinese emperors would be founded by them.
The rivals in the struggle for unification widely used the tactics of alliances with distant kingdoms. The "vertical" alliance of the Chu and Zhao kingdoms is known, directed against the "horizontal alliance" of Qin and Qi. Chu was initially successful, but the Qin ruler had the final say.
As a result, Ying Zheng became emperor, receiving the symbolic name Qin Shi Huang (the name of the Chinese emperor is translated as "First Emperor Qin").
Preconditions for unification
The most important prerequisite for the destruction of the former political boundaries between kingdoms was the development of stable economic ties. He painted a vivid picture of the strengthening of trade relations between them in the III century BC. NS. Xunzi, who emphasized the important role of economic ties in satisfying the natural needs of people for those products that are not produced in their places of residence.
Also at this time, there was a partial spontaneous unification of the payment coin. In the V-III centuries BC. NS. on the territory of the Central China Plain and adjacent regions, large economic regions are gradually being formed, the boundaries of which do not coincide with the political boundaries of the kingdoms. Commoners, traders and nobles understood that further development required a "single" Chinese emperor, who would erase the internal political boundaries for the sake of the economy.
Formation of a single ethnic group
Another fundamental reason for unification under the rule of Qin Shi Huang was the common ethnic and cultural space that was practically formed by that time. The consolidation of the ancient Chinese took place, despite the borders of the Middle Kingdoms that separated them.
The formation of a single cultural stereotype of the population, the stabilization of ideas about its community, the development of the ethnic identity of the ancient Chinese not only prepared the ground for future unification, but also made it a priority task.
Qin Shi Huang's reforms
The defeat of the six kingdoms, as well as the subsequent unification of the territories were only a timid step in the formation of the state. More important were the unpopular but necessary reforms initiated by the Chinese Emperor Qin. They were aimed at eliminating the consequences of prolonged economic and political fragmentation.
Decisively breaking down the barriers that hindered the establishment of regular ties between all the districts of the empire, Qin Shi Huang Ti destroyed the walls that separated some of the warring kingdoms. Only buildings along the vast northern borders were preserved, completed in the missing places and united into one Great Wall.
Shi Huang also paid great attention to the construction of highways connecting the then capital Xianyang with the periphery. One of the most ambitious construction activities of this kind was the construction of the Straight Highway that connected the vicinity of Xianyang with the center of Juyuan County (more than 1400 km long).
Administrative reforms
These reforms were preceded by a fierce struggle of opinions about how to organize the administration of the newly annexed territories, what principle should be put in the basis of the administrative system of the empire. Counselor Wang Guan insisted that, according to a tradition dating back to the Zhou time, the country's outlying lands should be transferred into hereditary possession of the emperor's relatives.
Li Si was resolutely opposed to this, proposing a fundamentally different project, the Chinese emperor accepted Li Si's proposals. The territory of the Celestial Empire was divided into 36 districts, each of which consisted of counties (xian). The districts were headed by governors appointed directly by the emperor.
By the way, the very idea of creating in the newly annexed territories of districts - administrative units of central subordination - arose at the end of the 5th century BC. NS. The essence of Qin Shi Huang's reform was expressed in the fact that he extended the system of districts to the entire territory of his empire. The boundaries of the new formations did not coincide with the territory of the former kingdoms of the Zhanguo period and did not correspond to the natural geographical boundaries that could contribute to the isolation of certain regions of the country.
Culture and legislation
Other important measures to strengthen the centralized authority of the emperor also include:
- introduction of unified legislation;
- unification of measures and weights;
- reform of the monetary system;
- introduction of a unified writing system.
Qin Shi Huang's reforms greatly contributed to the strengthening of both the cultural and economic community of the empire's population. “The lands between the four seas were united,” wrote Sima Qian on this occasion, “the outposts are open, the prohibitions on the use of mountains and lakes have been relaxed. Therefore, wealthy merchants were able to freely travel throughout the Celestial Empire, and there was no place where goods for exchange did not penetrate. "
Slavery and terror
However, the first emperor was not a model of virtue. On the contrary, many historians regard him as a tyrant. For example, he actually encouraged the slave trade, and not only prisoners captured in military campaigns, but also the inhabitants of China itself. The state itself en masse enslaved the population for debts or for crimes committed, and then sold them to slave owners. The prisons also became slave markets. The most severe terror was established in the country, on one suspicion of dissatisfaction with the activities of the emperor, the entire surrounding population was subjected to destruction. Despite this, crime increased: there were frequent cases of people being kidnapped for the purpose of selling them into slavery.
Persecution of dissidents
The Chinese Emperor Shih Huang Ti subjected the Confucians, who preached the traditional principles of morality and civic duty, asceticism, to severe repression. Many of them were executed or sent to hard labor, and all of their books were burned and henceforth prohibited.
And what after?
In the essay of the historian Sima Qian Shiji (in the "Historical Notes"), it is mentioned that the emperor died in 210 while on a trip to China. The death of the sovereign overtook suddenly. His youngest son, who inherited the throne, ascended the throne when the internal social contradictions in the country escalated significantly. At first, Ershihuan tried to continue the most important activities of his father, in every possible way emphasizing the continuity of his policy. To this end, he issued a decree stating that the unification of weights and measures undertaken by Qin Shihuang remains in force. However, popular unrest, skillfully used by the nobility, led to the fact that the first dynasty of the Chinese emperors Qin left the historical arena.
Collapse of the empire
Qin Shi Huang's unpopular decisions sparked protests from all walks of life. Many attempts were made on his life, and immediately after his death, a wide uprising of the masses began, which destroyed his dynasty. The rebels did not spare even the gigantic tomb of the emperor, which was plundered and partially burned.
As a result of the uprising, Liu Bang came to power (206-195 BC), the founder of a new dynasty of emperors - Han, who until then was only the head of a small village. He took a number of measures to reduce the influence of the oligarchy. Thus, merchants and usurers, as well as their relatives, were prohibited from holding public office. The merchants were imposed with higher taxes, rules were introduced for the rich. Local self-government was restored in the villages, abolished by Qin Shi Huang.
- Xia era BC BC) - a semi-mythical dynasty, whose existence is described in legends, but there are no real proof archaeological finds.
- The Shang era (1600-1100 BC) - the first dynasty, whose existence is documented.
- The Zhou era (1027-256 BC) is divided into 3 periods: western Zhou, Chunqiu, and Zhangguo.
- Qin (221-206 BC) - the first imperial dynasty.
- Han (202 BC - 220 AD) - a dynasty founded by the village headman after a popular uprising.
- The era of the Northern and Southern dynasties (220-589) - for several centuries a whole series of rulers and their dynasties changed: Wei, Jin, Qi, Zhou - northern; Su, Qi, Liang, Chen - southern.
- Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-906) - the heyday of science, culture, construction, military affairs, diplomacy.
- The period of the "Five Dynasties" (906-960) is a time of troubles.
- Song (960-1270) - restoration of centralized power, weakening of military power.
- Yuan (1271-1368) - the rule of the Mongol conquerors.
- Ming (1368-1644) - founded by a wandering monk who led an uprising against the Mongols. It is characterized by the development of a commodity economy.
- Qing (1644-1911) - founded by the Manchus, who took advantage of the confusion in the country caused by peasant uprisings and the overthrow of the last Ming emperor.
Output
Qin Shi Huangdi is one of the most famous historical figures in ancient Chinese history. His name is associated with G. H. Andersen "The Nightingale and the Chinese Emperor." The founder of the Qin dynasty can be put on a par with the names of Napoleon, Lenin - personalities who shook society to its foundations, radically changed the life of not only the native state, but also many neighbors.
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