History Of Emperor Qin

1611 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Confucianism influence in ancient china

The mystery that still puzzles scholars and archaeologists is why Emperor Qin had 7,000 Terracotta Warriors officers, soldiers, horses, and chariots underground just outside Mount Li in Shaanxi China, the legendary resting place of the First Emperor.

1ST Theory:
The answer may lie with the other items found in his tomb in addition to the terracotta warriors. Very little of the tomb has actually been exhumed, but the writings of the Han scholar Sima Qian (145–c. 90 BC) provide us with the only record of what the tomb of the First Emperor may contain. In this assignment I will argue that Qin’s elaborate tomb and its guardians reflect the parts of life that the Emperor thought were of greatest importance to him, and those things which he wanted to take with him into the afterlife. Reading the articles written about Qin we find that he was obsessed with immortality. This desire for a reconstruction of certain aspects of his surroundings in his final resting place may have stemmed from this obsession.

Edmund Capon’s book on the Terracotta army gives great detailed account of the archaeological findings at the excavation site it also gives the reader an introduction to Emperor Qin for whom this grandiose burial was completed. From Capon’s book we can learn the political and philosophical climate of the time and Qin’s place in it.
He ruled his empire by employing the philosophy of Legalism (Capon 1983), a revolutionary approach to governing that condemned the old ways and relied heavily on his army. As the head of his new empire, Qin disbanded the feudal system, centralized the State, and unified China under his banner. However, his Legalist policies and contempt for the old philosophical views of Confucianism lead him to facilitat...

... middle of paper ...

...n’s historical account.

Sima Qian (145-86 B.C.E.) was the son of the Grand Historian of China and assumed that title himself in the imperial court of the Han Dynasty in 107 C.E. He is most famous for writing a monumental work on Chinese history known as Shi Ji, The Records of the Grand Historian. Shi Ji consists of 130 chapters in five volumes. In it, Sima Qian presents biographies of the Chinese rulers from the first legendary Yellow Emperor to the emperor of his time, as well as well-known feudal families and famous men. He also treats various subjects such as ritual practice, music, and general history. Shi Ji is considered to be the greatest history writing of Classical China, and Sima Qian the greatest historian of all time. Sima Qian's portrait of the Qin Shihuang was the most vivid and truthful record in understanding both the Qin Dynasty and its ruler.
REF:

Show More
Related

  • Qin Shi Huang Tomb

    379 Words  | 1 Pages

    Discovered in 1974 a group of farmers digging wells near Xi'an, China stumbled upon the tomb of Qin Shi Huang which is located 22 miles east of Xian Shi Huangdi. (259 BC - 210 BC), the first emperor of China, inherited the throne at the age of 13, when construction of his tomb began. He was responsible for several immense construction projects built by his people, including the Great Wall of China. The laborers came from three groups of people, craftsmen, prisoners and people who were repaying a debt. Sima Qian, a great historian who wrote in early Han dynasty, offered archeologists great insight on the mausoleum's construction. We learned from him that the tomb is huge. Moreover, booby traps with automatic-shooting arrows and crossbow booby traps were

    Read More

  • Changes And Continuities In The Shang Dynasty

    1657 Words  | 4 Pages

    The founder of the Qin dynasty was Qin Shi Huangdi, a title meaning “First Emperor.” He was a brutal ruler, but he brought about many changes. However, in addition to all the new, some old ideas were continued from the Zhou, such as the emphasis on the wheat and rice staple foods, and the philosophies, Confucianism and Daoism. The old continuities tended to have been deeply embraced by China, and, just as the Zhou did, the Qin would create some ideas that lasted, and some that did not. Qin Shi Huangdi enforced a tough autocratic rule and, as a result, opposed formal culture that could make people counter his rule. This meant that he burned many books and attacked Confucian ideas in order to keep the people from generating rebellious ideas. When the Qin dynasty fell, so too did the opposition towards education, because it took away from the civilization culturally. Despite the fact that the Qin dynasty was very short and had little time to fully develop its systems and ideas, it did pump out a vast quantity of new and lasting concepts, such as the Great Wall and a central government. One of the biggest contenders for the most well-known feature of the Qin dynasty is the Great Wall. This architectural masterpiece extends over 3,000 miles, and was mainly a

    Read More

  • Emperor Shi Huangdi Essay

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    During 221 BC, China went through a time called the Warring States Period. Emperor Shi Huangdi rose to power during this time and defeated his enemies and consolidated rule in China. Emperor Shi Huangdi was the first person to unify China in all of history. The emperor was able to use legalist policies to increases his power over his people. Shi Huangdi philosophy of legalism says that all people are evil, and harsh laws must be made to keep them in line. If people are left alone, they will act badly. During the Warring States Period

    Read More

  • Ray Huang’s book 1587: A Year of No Significance

    384 Words  | 1 Pages

    Huang outlines to reconstruction of the court under Wan-li came into power at the death of his father and the seemingly insignificant actions taken by the emperor, from his marriage to the redecorating of the court. Within the scope of this discourse, Huang is able to disclose the excesses of the emperor, and consider the implications of the bureaucratic system that he devised as an extension of this excess (13).

    Read More

  • Chinese Terracotta Warriors

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chinese Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a significant sculpture that represented the armies of Qin Shi Huang (the first Emperor of China). It is also known as the eight wonders of the world. It described a strong personality and specific characteristics from that era. This amazing artwork not only shows the remarkable historical value, but also the great artistic achievement. Qin Terracotta art is a great success in both sculpture and architecture.

    Read More

  • Analysis of an Episode from A Visit from the Foot Binder by Emily Prager

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lady Guo Guo has gone to, to create her burial tomb. I aim to look at

    Read More

  • Li Si and the Qin Dynasty

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    The "Historical Records," written by Sima Qian, is a historical account which showcases how the corrupted legalist system of the Qin Dynasty led to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven and the fall of the Empire. Qian, who lived during the Han Dynasty, used the example of Li Si, the Chief Minister of the Emperors of the Qin Dynasty, to emphasis the newly accepted Confucian values. It was the shortcomings of Li Si which led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty as well as his own death. However, Qian is careful to note that prior to his downfall, Li Si followed many Confucian values which allowed him to rise up from a commoner to his eventual position as Chief Minister. These dual lifestyles of Li Si, and their respective consequences, in many ways parallels the two systems implemented by the Qin and Han Dynasties. Using the values written in the "Analects of Confucius," the work of Li Si to establish the Qin Dynasty can ultimately be assessed as a failure, due mainly to his weaknesses outweighing his strengths later in his life. Bearing in mind that the "Historical Records" were written with Confucian values as the ideal way of life, it can be seen how Li Si was portrayed as a good advisor for the Qin ruler, but a bad advisor for China.

    Read More

  • Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier Analysis

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is obvious in this photograph that this soldier is taking great pride in guarding the Tomb of the Unknown. The first thing noticed when looking at this photograph from D. Myles Cullen is the white marble sarcophagus, or stone coffin. This is located in the very center of the photograph and is an important and well-respected monument. Engraved on the sarcophagus are the words

    Read More

  • Qin Shi Huangdi: Unifying China and Standardizing Education

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    Source L (3.) is a secondary source that shows how the Great Wall of China was constructed from the measurements and materials involved and the conditions and terrain in which thousands of peasants had to work in. It also portrays the dangers they faced and the possible injuries that may have occurred which suggests that the peasants, farmers (Nong) and craftsman (Gong) may have been forced into slavery to construct the Great Wall of China. Although this is said, the Great Wall of China was beneficial to the country because it’s objective was to keep china safe from northern invaders. Despite Qin having such great achievements he was a very cruel and ruthless leader where he would give out very harsh punishments or execution for minor offences for example by suggesting another way to do something could result in death (Qin was a legalist). Source M – Burning Books (2.) a secondary source, the image conveys multiple scholars (Shi) being killed by Qin’s authority and books being burnt.

    Read More

  • Empress Lü: Power-Hungry or Protective?

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 55, House of the Marquis of Liu.

    Read More

  • Legalist Perspective Of Legalism

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is thus rational for us to question the validity of preconditions upon which these ideas were acquired and the legitimacy of the ideas; and later but more importantly, how did the Legalists become the only classical thoughts had its teaching adopted as the sole official doctrine of a regime ruling all China and bring about the unification of China; and lastly, the association of the all-too-soon collapse of the ephemeral Qin Dynasty and the Legalists thoughts.

    Read More

  • GWC

    1897 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Great Wall of China, one of the world’s eight wonders, is one of the most famous feats of human architecture in the history of the world. This ancient marvel is not only a great spectacle, but is also significant in the shaping and molding of the China everyone knows today. The Great Wall of China allowed China to possess some of the longest lived governmental structures in the world by providing a means of protection against hostile nomadic groups and other warlike peoples. This allowed the lifespans of the dynasties-- lines of hereditary rulers who rule over a country for a long period of time-- inside the wall to be prolonged. This massive structure is therefore a key part of China’s history, influencing nearly every dynasty that ruled the region, since the rise of the first emperor.

    Read More

  • The Han Dynasty: The Fall Of The Qin Dynasty

    305 Words  | 1 Pages

    The fall of the Qin Dynasty was caused by lack of leadership by emperor Qin Shi Huang and his successor. A difference of opinion is brought up about how the Qin Dynasty fell and in what area did the lack of leadership occur. In the position presented by Farah and Karls the fall of the Qin came not because Qin Shi was a bad leader necessarily, but, due to the fact that he was a harsh and hated ruler which made him lose the trust of his people. Even though the Han Dynasty overthrew the Qin it still “used Qin forms of centralized power, but without the harshness of Qin rule” (A). The Han Dynasty continued off the base the Qin had set for a centralized form of power but they did not keep the harsh leadership because they believed it caused

    Read More

  • Music and Cultural Identity

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...f this object. The qin was a very important element in Chinese society during the Han dynasty as it was one of the many aspects in the creation of the two opposing social identities within the same culture. Unlike the effect music had on diaspora communities, it was a factor in the divergence of people in a community.

    Read More

  • The Ming Dynasty

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    government, he felt that “Principle was the diffusion of the imperial government.”(www.travelchinaguide.com). So in order to correct the situation of the government, he tried to strengthen rule into absolute rule by emperor. One of the single most important innovations that Hongwu made to the Chinese government was the abolishment of the Chief Minister. By eliminating the Chief Minister, Hongwu essentially took over the administration. In a way he was proclaiming absolute...

    Read More

More about History Of Emperor Qin

Open Document