Although lasting for only fifteen years, the Qin dynasty (221¨C206 BCE) brought centralized administration to China and introduced a model of government that Chinese emperors followed until the abdication of the emperor of China's final dynasty, the Qing, in 1912. The very name of China was probably derived from the name "Qin" (pronounced "chin"). Unfortunately, the accomplishments of the Qin rulers were achieved by harsh, ruthless, totalitarian acts that hastened the dynasty's untimely demise.

The Rise to Power of the Qin Dynasty

Living in the present-day province of Shaanxi among various nomadic tribes in the far west of ancient China, the people of the Qin dynasty had long proved to be fierce warriors. Their weapons industry was aided by a wealth of iron ore found in their region. After the collapse of the Western Zhou dynasty (1045¨C771 BCE), the state of Qin emerged as one of many small states that sprang up in the absence of a strong ruling house. The Qin began to rise to prominence during the Warring States period (475¨C221 BCE), when Shang Yang (d. 338 BCE), a scholar and politician, set about reforming the Qin state. He moved the Qin capital to Xianyang (located near the modern city of Xian), abolished feudalism, gave land to the peasants, taxed them, and introduced a law code that favored no one class. To replace the feudal aristocracy that he had abolished, he set up a central government to administer the country. In the bureaucracy, official positions were designated according to a reward system, rather than being inherited as earlier. Fajia (Legalism), a philosophy that emphasized that rulers should have absolute power and that they should govern with the help of a strict law code, pervaded Shang Yang's ideas about government.

The Rise and Fall of the Qin Dynasty

Although because they had absorbed various Central Asian invaders into their state the Qin were viewed as too barbaric to pose a serious threat to the other states, from 230 to 221 BCE, the Qin successively conquered these states of the Eastern Zhou (770¨C221 BCE) confederacy. By 221 BCE, with a final military victory over the Zhou, the Qin had unified all the states of the feudal Zhou rule. Zheng, the Qin king (c. 259¨C210 BCE) proclaimed himself Shi Huangdi ("first sovereign emperor") and assumed control over the empire.

Upon his death in 210 BCE, court intrigues, primarily involving a eunuch, Zhao Gao, and an adviser, Li Si, tricked the heir apparent into committing suicide, and the title of emperor was conferred on a younger son, then known as the Second Emperor (reigned 210¨C207 BCE), who ended his own turbulent reign by also taking his life. Rule then passed to a young boy, known only as the child-emperor. Although the boy surrendered to the usurping Han dynasty (206 BCE¨C220 CE) leaders at Xianyang, he was killed and his capital destroyed, bringing the rule of the Qin to an end in 206 BCE, fifteen years after its inception.

Changes Introduced by Zheng

Once in power, Zheng initiated sweeping changes, following the philosophical tenets of Legalism as modeled by Shang Yang, to consolidate and support Qin authority. (Some aspects of Confucianism, such as the importance of filial duty and ancestor worship, were still emphasized during the Qin dynasty.) Zheng divided the land into units administered by a highly centralized bureaucracy, applied a rigorous penal code, and relocated the Zhou aristocratic families to the capital of Xianyang, where they could be closely watched in grand mansions built for the purpose.

Zheng also standardized weights, currency, and measures; set cart-wheel measurements, had a national system of highways and a canal system built; constructed monumental palaces; and reformed the writing system, which had gradually become more regional, by creating a new script called xiao zhuan ti ("small seal script") to be used throughout his empire. To form a defense against troublesome nomads from Central Asia such as the Xiongnu, vast numbers of peasant laborers were conscripted to construct a walled fortification; subsequent emperors added to this construction, which eventually become known the Great Wall.

To ensure his life after death, Zheng provided himself with a huge tomb complex; that complex has not yet been explored. In 1974, however, archaeologists did unearth a remarkable army of thousands of lifesize terra-cotta figures, the army who would protect him in the next life. Each figure was represented wearing the costume and carrying the weapons that were appropriate for his branch of service, be it infantry, cavalry, or chariot driver, and each figure's face was individually modeled as if copying a real person. Armed crossbows were set within the chambers to guard against invaders.

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About Xian

. A sub-provincial . This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see capital (disambiguation) . Encyclopedia of Modern Asia© on Xi¡¯an . Wade-Giles ( . A province, . The Chinese phrase Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (Traditional Chinese: ÖЇøËÄ´ó¹Å¶¼; Simplified Chinese: ÖйúËÄ´ó¹Å¶¼; pinyin: Zh¨­nggu¨® S¨¬ D¨¤ G¨³d¨±) traditionally refers to Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang, and Xi¡¯an. . Zhou Dynasty . Early career . Western and Eastern Zhou . Xi??an West Peak (Xi Feng) . Qin Dynasty . Oppression During Zheng¡¯s Rule . Qin Shi Huang . Xianyang

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