Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
Chapter 8: Ancient China
Lesson 3: The Qin and the Han – pages 266 – 271
“The Emperor’s Silent Army” – p. 272 - 275
Main Ideas
 Government: Shi Huangdi conquered the warring states, unified China and built a strong
government.
 Government: The Han Dynasty took over China and established a strong empire that lasted
400 years.
 Culture: Life in Han China set a pattern that is still seen today.
Vocabulary
Term
Definition
Other
Representation
(Icon, Picture,
Example,
Sentence, etc.)
Application:
What learning target
does this term connect
to? How / Why?
Qin
Shi Huangdi
The Han
Dynasty
bureaucracy
martial
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
The Qin Unified China p. 267 - 268
1. At the end of the Zhou period several states were still at war. The Mandate of Heaven was lost
and a new ruler was needed.
Who was the new ruler?
Where did he come from?
What did he try to do?
2. What sort of ruler was Shi Huangdi?
What did he do to show his power?
What style of government did he rule with?
3. Shi Huangdi wanted a strong central government. What were THREE things he did to weaken
the nobles and gain control of the government for himself as Emperor?
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•
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4. What were FOUR things Shi Huangdi did as he planned to unite his empire?
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•
•
•
How did the work on the projects get done?
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
( Continued…The Qin Unified China p. 267 – 268)
5. Describe the Great Wall built by Shi Huangdi
- the plan for the wall:
- who actually built the wall:
6. Describe THREE things about the tomb Shi Huangdi had built for himself. (Look at p. 272-276 for
more details)
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The Han Dynasty p.269 - 270
7. After Shi Huanghi died, who ruled?
What were TWO things that happened?
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•
Who ended up defeating the Qin?
8. Liu Bang ended _______________ and reunified China and he started the ___________ Dynasty.
9. Describe the Han government :
-Liu Bang kept the Qin policies of __________________________________________________ .
- ____________________ owed the government a month of _______________ per year on the
emperor's public projects.
- Peasants built _____________________________.
- The Han rulers set up a ________________________________.
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
10. Explain FOUR ways the bureaucracy worked during the Han Dynasty.
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11. When Liu Bang died, who took over and who ruled?
12. Who finally came along and expanded the Han Dynasty?
How did he expand the empire?
Life in Han China p. 270 - 271
13. What was daily life like in Han China? List at least TWO items in each category
farming wise:
clothing wise:
city living:
Lesson Summary:
• In 221 BC the Qin ruler Shi Huangdi unified China and ruled by harsh Legalist principles.
• The Han Dynasty ruled over a large and successful land.
• The Han Chinese way of life is reflected in Chinese life today
Why it matters now: Strong government remains important in Chinese life today.
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
Skillbuilder Practice - Using Cost-Benefit Analysis
When you try to decide whether the cost of something will bring you a benefit, you
might call it a trade-off. Economists call this action cost-benefit analysis. Cost-benefit
analysis is a tool used to see if the cost of a program equals the benefits received. Anyone
who has to make a decision involving a possible benefit against its cost uses some form of
cost-benefit analysis. For example, a business might use it to decide if purchasing new
equipment will result in increased production of an item and, so, result in more profit.
Suppose you are on a committee at school that is organizing an event to reward all
students for reaching a school goal. You have an amount of money to spend on the event.
Suggestions for the event include hiring a motivational speaker, having a school picnic, or
giving out tee shirts. Your committee must decide which would benefit the students more.
Using cost-benefit analysis will help you decide which of the choices is best. Read
the passage below and analyze the cost-benefit.
Shi Huangdi’s reign in the Qin Dynasty was a time of unification and
growth. The Chinese fought an unending war with nomads along the
borders. The nomads raided the lands, stole goods, and threatened the
people. Earlier rulers erected walls to protect their lands and people. The
new emperor decided to link the walls together. By taxing the people of
the empire, Shi Huangdi raised money to build the Great Wall. Thousands
of peasants were forced to work on the wall for no wages. Many died from
the hard labor and harsh winter conditions. The wall did keep nomads out
of the empire for a long time. However, angry peasants rebelled against the
rule of the Qin Dynasty. After only 40 years, the empire fell apart.
QUESTIONS
1. Why did Shi Huangdi want to build the Great Wall?
2. How would you determine if the wall was beneficial?
3. What was the cost of the wall to the people it was supposed to protect?
4. What was the cost of the Great Wall to the Qin Dynasty?
5. What was the benefit of Shi Huangdi’s wall?
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
Geography Practice - The Great Wall
The Great Wall of China is considered one of the greatest accomplishments of
humankind. Over the years, the wall served as a defensive barrier. At its longest, it
extended about 4,000 miles (about the distance from Washington D.C., to Wichita,
Kansas). The map below shows the segments of the wall that still exist.
Chinese lords had walls constructed to protect their land from nomads who raided
the frontiers of the Chinese territory. Emperor Shi Huangdi ordered the construction of
new walls to connect the existing walls. Later, other emperors added to the wall or
repaired segments that were in ruin.
Built in rugged mountainous territory, the wall follows the contours of the land. In
mountainous areas, the wall rises and falls along mountain ridges. In the west, the wall is
found along the edge of the Gobi Desert. Often parts of the wall stood in ruin for centuries.
Most of today’s remaining walls were constructed or repaired by the Ming Dynasty, which
began in 1368 and lasted until 1644. Today the Great Wall is one of China’s major tourist
attractions.
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Name ___________________________________________________________ Hour ___________ Date _____________________
Use the map to do these activities and answer these questions.
1. Highlight or color the segments of the wall shown on the map.
2. Look at the parts of the wall in the area around Beijing. Why might there be more
remnants of the wall in this area?
3. What is the name of the eastern-most city with segments of the wall?
What is the name of the western-most city with segments of the wall?
4. Study the map on page 269. Locate the route of the Silk Roads. On your Great Wall
map, draw in the route of the Silk Roads from Xi’an to Jiayuguan
What reasons might be given for the route not being located further north?
5. Apply Map Skills: Find the city of Baotou. At one time, a part of the Great Wall was
located near this city.
What do you think might have happened to this segment of the wall?
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