Chapter 4 section 5
Great Rulers unite
China
Triumph of the First
Emperor
Shi Huangdi (first emperor of China)
 Goal was to unite China

Abolished the feudal states
 Divided China into 36 military
districts
 Ruled by appointed officials
 Inspectors (spies)

Promoting Unity
Standardized weights and
measurements
 coins
 Chinese writing
 Repaired roads and canals

Harsh laws
Shi Huangdi was harsh on his critics
 Jailed or tortured those who
opposed his rule
 Especially hated noble lords, and
Confucian scholars
 Book burning (ordered all philosophy
books burned)

The Great Wall
Shi Huangdi's greatest achievement
was the great wall
 Suppose to protect them from
invaders, but failed
 Built by peasants, and even
criminals
 Became an important symbol of
Chinese power

Collapse of the Qin
Shi Huangdi died in 210 B.C.
 People were angry over:

Taxes
 Forced labor
 Cruel laws (led to revolts)

Collapse of the Qin cont.
An illiterate peasant leader named
Liu Bang, took over the Qin
-claimed the mandate of Heaven
-Started the Han Dynasty