Transcript Qin Dynasty
By 221 B.C. a man named Qin Shihuang had overthrown all the remaining members of the Zhou Dynasty, and all other opposition, allowing him to place himself as the ruler of the eastern part of China The Qin government was highly bureaucratic and was administered by a hierarchy of officials, all serving the First Emperor Qin and his advisers also introduced new laws and practices that ended feudalism in China, replacing it with a centralized, bureaucratic government. Under this system, both the military and government thrived, as talented individuals could be more easily identified in the transformed society The First Emperor developed plans to fortify his northern border, to protect against the nomadic Mongols. The result was the construction of the Great Wall of China It was built by joining and strengthening the walls made by the feudal lords, which would be expanded and rebuilt multiple times by later dynasties, also in response to threats from the north. During the Warring State Period of China, the Qin accomplished a series of swift conquests, first ending the powerless Zhou Dynasty, and then eventually destroying all other six major states to gain control over the whole of China. The Qin unified all the whole of China by conquering the six other states and becoming one. The first emperor not only unified China, but went about standardizing writing, weights, and measures throughout his kingdom. This was used to promote internal trade among the newly acquired states that he conquered. The currency of the Qin Dynasty was the Ban Liang Coin Ban Liang Coins are found in a great variety of sizes and calligraphic styles, all with the same inscription. The Chinese religion was based on offered sacrifices in an attempt to contact this other world, which they believed to be parallel to the earthly one. These were usually done in local shrines and sacred areas. The cities played a key role in trade because to trade with the other states they would have to conquer that state. When the states were finally conquered by the Qin, trade between them started to flourish. Certain policies would be in place though to trade with these states. In addition, to further strengthen and glorify the emperor's power, Qin Shi Huang formulated a set of complicated rituals for libations and worship. Qin Shi Huang believed that when a person died, his spirit would go to the heaven and still exist so he had civilians construct his tomb on the Li Mountain. Not far from the tomb, he constructed his huge underground army, his Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses that would accompany him to his next life. This tribute was to show that he had extreme power no matter where he went Common forms of employment differed by region, though farming was almost universally common. Professions were hereditary, a father's employment was passed to his eldest son after he died. Regional variations in culture were considered a symbol of the lower classes During the Qin Dynasty men were forced to work and bring home the money or the food while the women were supposed to work around the house. Men would usually farm while the women would sew clothes for the family. Both these jobs were important because if the man didn’t bring home the food the family would starve, and if the woman didn’t make clothing for the winter they would freeze. These difference were also recognized but patriarchy still happened. Three assassination attempts were made on Qin Shihuang's life, leading him to become paranoid and obsessed with immortality After his fathers death, Qin Er Shi was pronounced emperor because high powered government officials thought they could manipulate Qin Er Shi and use him to their advantage to take over the nation. As a result, men from all over China revolted, attacking officials, raising armies, and declaring themselves kings of seized territories. The Qin Dynasty finally ended in 207 B.C. http://www.globalmountainsummit.org/terracotta-warriors.html http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:// www.destination360.com/asia/china/images/s /china-great-wall-of-china. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=ban+liang+ coins&um=1&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS31 5US316&tbm=isch&tbnid=csKfj8iRbBBIzM http://www.chinahighlights.com/map/ancientchina-map/qin-dynasty-map.htm http://rmaser.edu.glogster.com/qin-dynasty/ http://library.thinkquest.org/12255/library /dynasty/qin.html http://www.anythinganywhere.com/co mmerce/coins/coinpics/chinbanliang.htm http://www.warriortours.com/intro/histor y/qin/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty #Domestic_life