Transcript Strong Rulers Unite Warring Kingdoms

Strong Rulers Unite Warring
Kingdoms
Sec. #3
The Terracotta Army
• In 1974, a group of
farmers found pottery
made of terracotta
• Archaeologists found
8,000 life sized
statues of horses,
chariots and men
• These soldiers were
buried for more than
2000 years at the
tomb of Shi Huangdi
One China, One Ruler
• Shi Huangdi (first
emperor) was the leader
of the Qin Dynasty
• He led through strong
and harsh rule and
expanded the empire
over most of the land that
makes up modern day
China
• Shi Huangdi ordered the
Great Wall of China to be
built because of the
nomadic invaders
The Great Wall
• 300,000 farmers and
merchants were
created as an army of
workers to build the
wall
• When it was finished,
the wall extended
1400 miles
Organizing the Government
• Roads were built to put
down rebellions in the
empire
• Roads enabled armies to
get to the scene quickly
and put down uprisings
• The emperor was harsh
with local rulers who did
not obey him
• Shi Huangdi divided
China into districts with a
government run by the
emperor’s trusted officials
Unifying the Culture
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Shi Huangdi wanted his kingdom
to have one currency and one
culture
A common currency made it
easier for districts to trade with
each other
Common weights and measures,
an improved system of writing and
a law code were also created
Any ideas about Confucianism
were outlawed
Only knowledge of Qin scholars
was allowed
All books were burned except for
farming, medicine and technology
People were killed if they did not
obey.
Shi Huangdi died in 210 B.C. The
dynasty lasted for 15 years
The Han Dynasty
• Lui Bang helped to end
the Qin Dynasty and
became the Emperor of
China
• Lui was the first emperor
of the Han dynasty and
was born a peasant
• Stable governments were
a feature of the Han
Dynasty
• Confucianism was
brought back
Wudi: The Warrior Emperor
• Wudi was Lui Bang’s great
grandson who came to power
when he was 14
• He was a military emperor
expanding the empire west
and north
• When he died the dynasty
started to fall apart
• Warlords or leaders of local
groups gained power
• China broke up into several
smaller kingdoms