History UsefulNotes / QinDynasty

->''"All still think I was the greatest Chinese leader. The Qin family rule was short but sweeter. Tang, Ming, Song and the rest may have ruled for longer. But look at me they don't come much stronger."''

[[caption-width-right:350:受命於天 既壽永昌 (Bestowed with the Mandate of Heaven, may the Empire thrive and prosper)]]

* ''Series/KingsWar''

!!Notable monarch

The Qin dynasty created a model that the later dynasties followed. Their influence was such that the name the West still uses for the country--''China''--is derived from the word Qin, which was originally rendered into western languages as Chin.[[note]]The Chinese themselves mostly call the country ''Zhōngguó'' (中國/中国), meaning "central country" or "middle kingdom", although it has other endonyms.[[/note]]\\
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It had only two emperors, but the first one was UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi, and that one was really enough for at least two dynasties in any lesser country. Among other things, he unified the country (perhaps a quarter to a third the size of modern China) in a swift 9-year campaign; and then standardized the laws, coinage, and writing system. In short, he [[TropeCodifier codified]] ImperialChina.\\

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': The third Lostbelt takes place in an alternate version of China where civilization advancement is halted on purpose by Qin Shi Huangdi in this time period dynasty. It surprisingly results a peaceful and happy China (even though Qin Shi Huangdi still forbids anything he deems Confucius and heavily punishes those who steps out of line), but it results the humanity in this alternate universe to stagnate culture-wise so much the universe is about to be pruned.

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located in Western China. Due to its preoccupation with the nomadic tribes in the region and its geographic location, the Qin remained remote from the central affairs of the Zhou and other states in China. The genesis of the state of Qin arrived under very harsh conditions, its lands were underdeveloped, and its location gave the Qin few partners in trade. It does not help that the people of Qin were initially viewed as semi-barbaric by the rest of China due to their constant entanglement with local nomadic peoples, and was not expected to last long as a state. Against all odds, the state of Qin vastly improved its economy and infrastructure overtime. In addition, the Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. The entire society was reformed under Legalism, which became the law of the land, and, at least in the state of Qin, accompanied harsh but fair punishment against crimes regardless of social-class. Initially, many Qin nobles thought the Legalist reform would not affect them, and they would continue to enjoy a status above-the-law as they previously had. This soon proved to be not the case, as many nobles found themselves at the receiving end to extremely harsh punishments for committing crimes (petty or otherwise). This was to demonstrate to the populace that social-class was meaningless under Qin law, and the [[SeriousBusiness reforms meant business]]. Furthermore, the state of Qin significantly militarized, with military institutions dominating the society, and gradually becoming synonymous with Qin itself. Aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of the state, and embodied by the populace. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to efficiently mobilize its population for war, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to all of its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qin_dynasty1.jpg]]

Once Qin Shi Huangdi unified all China, legalism became the dominant philosophy. Moreover, Qin Shi Huangdi became rather authoritarian, especially in his later years. This became an obvious problem to conquered peoples under the Qin, as they had very little tolerance for how Qin was running the empire, and how legalism was exercised overall. Many of his more bloody actions (especially those against the Confucians, who later came to power and [[WrittenByTheVictors wrote all the history books]]) sealed his legacy as '''THE''' tyrant of China. Predictably, upon the death of Qing Shi Huangdi, rebellions across the empire erupted. Qin Shi Huang's successor was not nearly as capable and the dynasty soon ended when the third ruler (who styled himself as "king") was killed by Xiang Yu. One general, Wei Man, defected to Gojoseon in north-western Korea and later usurped power from its king.\\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located in Western China. Due to its preoccupation with the nomadic tribes in the region and its geographic location, the Qin remained remote from the central affairs of the Zhou and other states in China. The state of Qin had a bad start, its lands were underdeveloped, and its location gave the Qin few partners in trade. It does not help that the people of Qin were initially viewed as semi-barbaric by the rest of China, and was not expected to last as a state. Against all odds, the state of Qin vastly improved its economy and infrastructure overtime. In addition, the Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. The entire society was reformed under Legalism, which became the law of the land, and, at least in the state of Qin, accompanied harsh but fair punishment against crimes regardless of social-class. Initially, many Qin nobles thought the Legalist reform would not affect them, and they would continue to enjoy a status above-the-law as they previously had. This soon proved to be not the case, as many nobles found themselves at the receiving end to extremely harsh punishments for committing crimes (petty or otherwise). This was to demonstrate to the populace that social-class was meaningless under Qin law, and the [[SeriousBusiness reforms meant business]]. Furthermore, the state of Qin significantly militarized, with military institutions dominating the society, and gradually becoming synonymous with Qin itself. Aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of the state, and embodied by the populace. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to efficiently mobilize its population for war, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to all of its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located in Western China. Due to its preoccupation with the nomadic tribes in the region and its geographic location, the Qin remained remote from the central affairs of the Zhou and other states in China. The state of Qin had a bad start, its lands were underdeveloped, and its location gave the Qin few partners in trade. It does not help that the people of Qin were initially viewed as semi-barbaric by the rest of China, and was not expected to last as a state. Against all odds, the state of Qin vastly improved its economy and infrastructure overtime. In addition, the Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. The entire society was reformed under Legalism, which became the law of the land, and, at least in the state of Qin, accompanied harsh but fair punishment against crimes regardless of social-class. Initially, many Qin nobles thought the Legalist reform would not affect them, and they would continue to enjoy a status above-the-law as they previously had. This soon proved to be not the case, as many nobles found themselves at the receiving end to extremely harsh punishments for committing crimes. This was to demonstrate to the populace that social-class was meaningless under Qin law, and the [[SeriousBusiness reforms meant business]]. Furthermore, the state of Qin significantly militarized, with military institutions dominating the society, and gradually becoming synonymous with Qin itself. Aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of the state, and embodied by the populace. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to efficiently mobilize its population for war, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to all of its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located in Western China. Due to its preoccupation with the nomadic tribes in the region and its geographic location, the Qin remained remote from the central affairs of the Zhou and other states in China. The state of Qin had a bad start, its lands were underdeveloped, and its location gave the Qin few partners in trade. It does not help that the people of Qin were initially viewed as semi-barbaric by the rest of China, and was not expected to last as a state. Against all odds, the state of Qin vastly improved its economy and infrastructure overtime. In addition, the Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism became the law of the land, which, at least in the state of Qin, accompanied harsh but fair punishment against crimes regardless of social-class. Furthermore, the state of Qin significantly militarized, with military institutions dominating the society, and gradually becoming synonymous with Qin itself. Aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of the state, and embodied by the populace. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to efficiently mobilize its population for war, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to all of its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located in Western China. Due to its preoccupation with the nomadic tribes in the region and its geographic location, the Qin remained remote from the central affairs of the Zhou and other states in China. The state of Qin had a bad start, its lands were underdeveloped, and its location gave the Qin few partners in trade. It does not help that the people of Qin were initially viewed as semi-barbaric by the rest of China, and was not expected to last as a state. Against all odds, the state of Qin vastly improved its economy and infrastructure overtime. In addition, the Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism became the law of the land, which, at least in the state of Qin, accompanied harsh but fair punishment, regardless of social-class. Furthermore, the state of Qin significantly militarized, with military institutions dominating the society, and gradually becoming synonymous with Qin itself. Aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of the state, and embodied by the populace. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to efficiently mobilize its population for war, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to all of its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located in Western China. Due to its preoccupation with the nomadic tribes in the region and its geographic location, the Qin remained remote from the central affairs of the Zhou and other states in China. The state of Qin had a bad start, its lands were underdeveloped, and its location gave the Qin few partners in trade. It does not help that the people of Qin were initially viewed as semi-barbaric by the rest of China, and was not expected to last as a state. Against all odds, the state of Qin vastly improved its economy and infrastructure overtime. In addition, the Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism became the law of the land, and punishments were harsh. In addition, the state of Qin significantly militarized, with military institutions dominating the society, and gradually becoming synonymous with Qin itself. Aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of the state, and embodied by the populace. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to efficiently mobilize its population for war, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to all of its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located to the West and considered remote from the central affairs of the Zhou state. The Qin were considered semi-barbaric, and were not expected to last as a state. Over time, against all expectations, the state of Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism became the law of the land, and punishments were harsh. In addition, the state of Qin became more and more militarized, with aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of society, business and industry. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin was able to mobilize its population for war quicker, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to its competitors. Over time, successive Qin leaders whittled away their competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

Once Qin Shi Huangdi unified all China, legalism became the dominant philosophy. Moreover, Qin Shi Huangdi became rather authoritarian, especially in his later years. This became an obvious problem to conquered peoples under the Qin, as they had very little tolerance for how Qin was running the empire, and how legalism was exercised overall. Many of his more bloody actions (especially those against the Confucians, who later came to power and [[WrittenByTheVictors wrote all the history books]]) sealed his legacy as '''THE''' tyrant of China. Qin Shi Huang's successor was not nearly as capable and the dynasty soon ended when the third ruler (who styled himself as "king") was killed by Xiang Yu. One general, Wei Man, defected to Gojoseon in north-western Korea and later usurped power from its king.\\

Once Qin Shi Huangdi unified all China, legalism became the dominant philosophy of China. Moreover, Qin Shi Huangdi became rather authoritarian, especially in his later years. This became an obvious problem to conquered peoples under the Qin, as they had very little tolerance for how Qin was running the empire, and legalist ideals overall. Many of his more bloody actions (especially those against the Confucians, who later came to power and [[WrittenByTheVictors wrote all the history books]]) sealed his legacy as '''THE''' tyrant of China. Qin Shi Huang's successor was not nearly as capable and the dynasty soon ended when the third ruler (who styled himself as "king") was killed by Xiang Yu. One general, Wei Man, defected to Gojoseon in north-western Korea and later usurped power from its king.\\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located to the West and considered remote from the central affairs of the Zhou state. The Qin were considered semi-barbaric, and were not expected to last as a state. Over time, against all expectations, the state of Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism became the law of the land, and punishments were harsh. In addition, the state of Qin became more and more militarized, with aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of society, business and industry. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids. As such, the Qin Dynasty was able to mobilize its population for war quicker, in greater numbers and in overall better readiness compared to its competitors. Over time, the state of Qin whittled away its competition, and when Ying Zheng, the future UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi took the throne, he accelerated the process and finished the job in less than a decade. \\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located to the West and considered remote from the central affairs of the Zhou state. The Qin were considered semi-barbaric, and were not expected to last as a state. Over time, against all expectations, the state of Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism became the law of the land, and punishments were harsh. In addition, the state of Qin became more and more militarized, with aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of society. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids[[note]]Which became a serious problem to conquered territories after the Qin managed to unify China, as people of other states had very low tolerance of Qin's extreme legalist philosophy, and eventually led to widespread rebellion that ended the Qin Dynasty.[[/note]]

Qin Shi Huangdi is also known for being rather authoritarian, especially in his later years. Being a fan of the harsh legalist philosophy of jurisprudence, many of his more bloody actions (especially those against the Confucians, who later came to power and [[WrittenByTheVictors wrote all the history books]]) sealed his legacy as '''THE''' tyrant of China. Qin Shi Huang's successor was not nearly as capable and the dynasty soon ended when the third ruler (who styled himself as "king") was killed by Xiang Yu. One general, Wei Man, defected to Gojoseon in north-western Korea and later usurped power from its king.\\

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located remotely to the West and considered remote from the central affairs of the Zhou state. The Qin were considered semi-barbaric, and were not expected to last as a state. Over time, the state of Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism was the law of the land, and punishments were harsh. In addition, the state of Qin became more and more militarized, with aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of society. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids[[note]]Which became a serious problem to conquered territories after the Qin managed to unify China, as people of other states had very low tolerance of Qin's extreme legalist philosophy, and eventually led to widespread rebellion that ended the Qin Dynasty.[[/note]]

The Qin Dynasty began as a state from the [[ZhouDynasty Spring & Autumn period to the subsequent Warring States period]] located remotely to the West and considered remote from the central affairs of the Zhou state. The Qin were considered semi-barbaric, and were not expected to last as a state. Over time, the state of Qin unified writing, measurements, codified legislation, and established an overall consensus of nationhood. Legalism was the law of the land, and punishments were harsh. In addition, the state of Qin became more and more militarized, with aspects of military training peppered throughout all corners of society. In short, the state of Qin was running TheSpartanWay on steroids[[note]]Which became a serious problem to conquered territories after the Qin managed to unify China, as people of other states had very low tolerance of Qin's extreme legalist philosophy, and eventually led to widespread rebellion that ended the Qin Dynasty.[[/note]]

The Qin Dynasty (秦朝, ''Qín Cháo'', 221 BC – 206 BC) is the fourth Chinese dynasty following the UsefulNotes/ZhouDynasty and the first one to be ruled by an emperor.\\