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Ch’in
(221 – 206 BC)
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| Shang
(1523-1027 BC) |
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As the Warring
States in the last years of the Chou battled one another, one western state,
the Ch’in, had become a well-ordered state with a large, well-trained
army. |
| Chou
(1027-221 BC) |
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| Han
(206 BC-AD 220) |
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| Three
Kingdoms (220-581) |
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By 230 BC
the other Warring States had worn themselves down to a remaining six.
Then the Ch’in armies moved eastward. Within the decade each of
the six was conquered, and China was unified under Ch’in’s
king. As his first act, he bestowed upon himself the title Shihuangdi,
or the “First August Emperor.” In this pivotal year of 221
BC, the land took its name from this dynasty, thus the Middle Kingdom
became known as China. |
| Sui
(581-618) |
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| T'ang
(618-907) |
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| Sung
(907-1279) |
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| Yüan
(1279-1368) |
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| Ming
(1368-1644) |
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| Ch'ing
(1644-1912) |
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| Opening
the Door (1844-1911) |
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Long Sword
c. 221- c. 1st century
Ch'in - Han Period
bronze
24 inches
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| The
Period of Revolution (1912-1949) |
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| Mao's
Dynasty (1949-1976) |
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| Raising
the Bamboo Curtain (1972-1979) |
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| Into
the Next Millennium (1979- ) |
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Courtesy The University
of Michgan Art Museum |
The First
Emperor’s reign was brief but busy. In twelve years he accomplished
much, standardizing the Chinese script, width of roads, weights and measures,
and metal currency. He undertook monumental building projects including
constructing over 4,000 miles of tree-lined imperial highways and over
2,000 miles of the Great Wall. Untold numbers of new palaces were built,
including an immense edifice for his primary residence called the Nearby
Palace. In the midst of all this, the First Emperor increased the size
of his army with which he defended his borders and conquered new lands. |
| With so much toil there
was bound to be trouble. These ambitious projects required the service of
hundreds of thousands, and the First Emperor compelled service with brutal
force, disrupting the commoners’ lives. Life at court was no better
as scholars and members of court lived under the threat of death if they
displeased the Emperor. |
| Toward the end the First Emperor turned
to the mystic elements of Taoism, falling under the influence of magicians
who promised life-extending elixirs and prophesied doom from a northern
enemy. On a trip to inspect his kingdom he died, aged forty-nine, in the
year 210 BC. His dynasty would last another four years, but his son and
grandson proved unable to hold what the First Emperor had secured. Over
time China would substantially enlarge and occasionally fragment, yet what
the First Emperor consolidated would serve as the country the world has
known for over two thousand years, and his influence would resonate through
each of its dynasties. |