The Achievements of Emperor Qin Shi Huang

Emperor Qin Shi Huang lived during 259-210 B.C. period. He had Ying as his given surname and Zheng became his renowned name (Kirstina 4). At his thirteenth age, he assumed Qin’s throne and began governing the state when he was only twenty-two years old. By 221 B.C., Emperor Qin had annexed the state’s six rival territories of Wei, Qi, Zhao, Han, Chu, and Yao and created China’s first feudal empire.

            During 221 B.C., a time when he focused on unifying the entire country, Ying Zheng primarily styled himself as the people’s Emperor. He branded himself the name, Shi Huang. Additionally, he had the intention that the later ruling generations would create the second as well as the third, even the one hundredth, until the thousandth emperor position through the observation of a well-established order (Juan and Mengyao 40). Emperor Qin had a burning intention to have his generation maintain the same hereditary system of governance. Since his rule, the state’s supreme feudal rulers who associated with the Chinese dynasties focused on calling themselves the emperor’s name, Huang.

            Emperor Qin had a bold vision as well as the wealth of talent which assisted him to foresee the creation of a unified state. During his rule, the rivalry prevailing among the warring independent principalities had to end. The legacy created by Emperor Qin ensured that his empire had benefited from the goals he had for his people. The objectives which Qin had are renowned in the entire world, not forgetting the westerners. Despite being naturally ambitious and aggressive at an early age, Emperor Qin governed until his forty-ninth age.

            However, to ensure the creation of the desired nation, as well as the realization of the differentiated achievements, Emperor Qin would sacrifice the lives subject to the numerous people operating as his subjects. Qin Shi Huang became famous for his brutality and harshness but still established vital historical records which identify him as one of the early leaders who focused on creating a unified nation. The history and culture subject to the Chinese draw considerable references from the institutions which Emperor Qin created. 

            Upon the annexation of the nation’s six rival states, the enfeoffment governance system would get abolished in favor of the county and prefecture system. Emperor Qin standardized the state’s currencies, legal codes, measures, weights, track, and written language. For the sake of enhancing protection from the Hun aristocrats who would always cause harassments, Emperor Qin ordered his subjects to construct the Great Wall (Xiuzhen et al., 128). Such a measure would again actively ensure that the state bonds together instead of separating. The unification and the strengthening of the whole state required all countrymen to honor their culture and develop the economy. In the process, these principles created a deep and a significant influence which benefited China’s old feudal society for more than 2000 years. 

            Emperor Qin encouraged and ordered the burning of the literature which other schools cherished. However, the books which worshiped Qin dynasty’s culture and divination, agriculture, medicines, and divination had to get preserved (Ying et al., 24). These books would act as a significant tool which strengthened Qin’s ideologies as well as his feudal autocracy. As a result, the ancient classics created by the preservative Chinese would get destroyed and devastated in the process. Moreover, the Emperor ordered the live burying of 460 Chinese scholars. Those events would historically get branded to be the actual burying of the scholars associated with Confucianism as well as the burning of undesirable books. Other seven hundred Confucianists would get stoned to death when Emperor Qin commanded his soldiers to do so. 

            He instituted a harsh legislative system and confiscated offensive weapons which helped in punishing lawbreakers. Additionally, all subjects under Qin Shi Huang were considered equal, and nobody held any position above the dynasty’s law. Therefore, lawbreakers would get punished severely (Juan and Mengyao 44).  The system created by Qin Shi Huang helped in enforcing swift governance, and the emperor would spend little time worrying about ruling the country. Qin understood that better enforcement of the law would make the weak rulers benefit from his power to become strong. Hence, Qin ordered that all special tactics or secrets be directed to him to ensure that no one created plans to dethrone him.

            For the creation of own pleasure, Emperor Qin had several convicts conscribed, mostly in their hundreds of thousands and had them engaged in the most significant construction executed at Guanzhong plain (Xiuzhen et al., 132). More than seven hundred well-structured palaces had to get built. The build palaces would stretch for several hundred li. Emperor Qin sought satisfaction and pleasure from one mansion, and he would even move to the castle of his choice. Currently, no one knows the exact location where Emperor Qin stored his treasures. The ostensible treasures were enclosed and are long forgotten.

            The Mausoleum owned by Emperor Qin Shi Huang would not get excavated years after his demise. Historians think the Mausoleum’s contents can only be known upon the opening of Emperor Qin’s palace.  However, the excavation of the three pits containing the warriors of terra-cotta would make it clear that the east gate which provided the entrance to the necropolis can provoke one to imagine about the overall luxury and magnificent structure which stood to create the Mausoleum owned by Emperor Qin.

            Emperor Qin had his Mausoleum contain three pits. On the other hand, the horses and warriors who merged to form the terra-cotta would get arranged according to the aspects of battle formation determined the battle formation adopted by the Qin dynasty. The troops would observe vigilance by remaining calm in the Mausoleum (Ying et al., 49). Mostly, the battlefield formation which the warriors patronized focused on serving the Qin dynasty under Emperor Qin. The country’s unity bonded the emperor’s subjects. Additionally, warriors had a dedicated passion for protecting the state. 

            Meanwhile, after the creation of a unified state, Emperor Qin had the belief that the underworld had the spirit of his dead soldiers as well as his enemies who would collaborate to seek possible revenge. The building of the terra-cotta army mainly assured Emperor Qin that he had what he needed to receive protection to counter the forces which would harm him whenever the spirited world decided to retaliate. Many people collaborated to create a unified army. The purpose of this army was to dedicate their service to Emperor Qin (Juan and Mengyao 48). It took about thirty-seven years for at least 720,000 men to serve as warriors under Emperor Qin who focused on cementing his official rule. For political and other strategic reasons, the army positioned themselves near Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum.

            Qin Shi Huang focused to live longer. He had some of his ministers sent to determine whether there existed an elixir which enhanced immortality. However, death forfeited his ambitions before he received answers regarding his disturbing question. During the search for the immortality solution, one of Qin’s subjects speculated that mercury usage would assist to lengthen life, but in the process, immortality would not become inevitable. Instead of Emperor Qin benefiting from the purported extended life form, his life became shortened since mercury acted as a poison. 210 B.C. marked the time when Emperor Qin died.

            Conclusively, Emperor Qin managed to achieve some significant milestones which benefited his people as well as the later generations. However, he would sometimes become harsh and oppressive to his subjects. During his rule, Emperor Qin wasted a lot of resources and workforce (Xiuzhen et al., 139). He unapologetically suppressed many scholars who failed to honor his ideologies. The scholars who were never liked by Emperor Qin had to get crushed. It was in Xian Yan where all these scholars would get killed, and the emperor enforced drastic measures to counter any form of rebellion. The burning of the books containing the literature which the emperor disregarded made him brutal. Despite pioneering the destruction of China, Qin Shi Huang provoked incredible intellectual and cultural growth. Whether the Chinese should honor him for his tyranny or his significant creations effectuates disputable concerns. Emperor Qin became the first authoritative ruler to create the Qin dynasty and was also one of the essential leaders who pioneered the shaping of Chinese history.

Works Cited

Li, Xiuzhen Janice, et al. “Crossbows and imperial craft organization: the bronze triggers of                   China’s Terracotta Army.”Antiquity 88.339 (2014): 126-140.

Ma, Ying, et al. “Tracing the locality of prisoners and workers at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi       Huang: First Emperor of China (259-210 BC).”Scientific reports 6 (2016): 26731.

Williams, Kirstina D. “History 126 August 27, 2015, Cultural, social, and political consequences of the unification of China. China was unified in 221 BCE for the first time in many   centuries after.”(2015).

Wu, Juan, and Mengyao Long. “Cultural Anthropology Study on Historical Narrative and Jade          Mythological Concepts in Records of the Great Historian: Annals of the First Emperor of         Qin.”Journal of Arts and Humanities 5.10 (2016): 40-49.