Qin Dynasty Exploration Worksheet
秦
The Qin Dynasty
World History Investigation • 221 BCE – 206 BCE
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Historical Context: After centuries of chaos during the Warring States period, Ying Zheng of Qin conquered all rival states in 221 BCE, proclaiming himself Qin Shi Huang ("First Sovereign Emperor"). Guided by Legalism, he established an autocratic centralized empire that transformed China.
1 Unification & The Legalist State
Key Concepts & Governance
Match each Qin governing policy or concept to its historical description by writing the correct letter in the blank.
1. Legalism
2. Commandery System
3. Li Si
4. Thought Control
A. Division of China into 36 administrative units governed by non-hereditary officials appointed directly by the emperor.
B. Authoritarian philosophy asserting that human nature is selfish and order requires strict laws and ruthless punishments.
C. The state-mandated burning of historical/philosophical texts and execution of critical scholars to eliminate dissent.
D. Chancellor and architect of imperial centralization who dismantled feudal privileges and standardized state functions.
Why did Qin Shi Huang abolish hereditary feudalism in favor of centrally appointed governors?
2 Standardization & Engineering the Empire
Imperial Infrastructure
| System Standardized | Qin Reform Implemented | Strategic & Economic Purpose |
|---|
| Currency (Coins) | Circular bronze Ban Liang coins with square center holes. | Facilitated unified tax collection and trade across all former rival states. |
| Written Script | Small Seal Script (Xiaozhuan) made mandatory. | Enabled imperial decrees to be understood uniformly despite regional spoken dialects. |
| Axle Width & Roads | Chariot wheels standardized to 6 feet wide; national road grid. | Ensured carts fit universal road ruts; enabled rapid military deployment. |
| Weights & Measures | Imperial copper weights and volume standards distributed. | Prevented tax fraud and established equitable interstate commerce. |
The Northern Defense: Great Wall
Qin joined and extended existing northern fortifications under General Meng Tian using hundreds of thousands of forced laborers.
Primary threat countered and human cost:
Imperial Power: Terracotta Army
Over 8,000 life-sized, individualized warriors, chariots, and horses buried to guard the First Emperor in the afterlife.
What this reveals about Qin Shi Huang's worldview:
Unit 3: Classical Asian Civilizations • The Imperial Bureaucracy Page 1 of 2 (Turn Over)
Part II: Oppression, Collapse & Lasting Legacy
Evaluating the Costs of Order and the 2,000-Year Imperial Blueprint
Student Investigation Document
3 Historical Evidence: Sima Qian's Assessment
Primary Source Critique
“Qin abolished the ways of the former kings and burned the writings of the hundred schools in order to make the common people foolish... The punishment of mutilation and death reached down to the third degree of kinship. The empire groaned beneath burdens too great to bear; men were dragged to the frontiers to serve in garrisons, while women carried grain to feed them. Trust was lost, and fear alone governed the realm.” — Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), c. 94 BCE
1. What specific methods did the Qin use to suppress intellectual opposition, according to Sima Qian?
2. How did collective punishment and forced military conscription undermine social stability?
4 The Rapid Collapse (210 – 206 BCE)
Cause & Consequence
Step 1: Death & Intrigue
Qin Shi Huang dies in 210 BCE. Eunuch Zhao Gao and Chancellor Li Si forge a decree forcing Crown Prince Fusu to commit suicide, placing weak puppet Hu Hai on the throne.
Step 2: Dazexiang Uprising
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, delayed by heavy rains on their way to garrison duty, realize the penalty for being late is execution. With nothing to lose, they launch a massive peasant revolt.
Step 3: Imperial Ruin
Aristocratic rebel Xiang Yu and rebel leader Liu Bang overthrow Qin in 206 BCE. Liu Bang soon unifies China and establishes the enduring Han Dynasty.
Explain the irony of Legalism's role in both creating and destroying the Qin Dynasty:
5 Synthesizing Legacy: Tyranny or Necessary Order?
Historical Judgment
Although the Qin lasted only 15 years, historian John Keay noted that “the concept of an imperial state ruled from a single capital had been planted indelibly.” In the space below, evaluate Qin Shi Huang’s reign: Was the Qin Dynasty primarily an era of cruel tyranny or an indispensable foundational achievement? Cite at least two specific pieces of evidence.
The Qin Legacy: Origin of the Name “China” Page 2 of 2
