Thomas 6th grade Chapter 6 Lesson 4 The Qin Dynasty
Give details about The Great Wall of China...
...stood 30 feet high ...with 40 foot towers ...the long wall twisted and turned through mountains, valleys, marshes and deserts for more than 1,500 miles
What were the three independent kingdoms that remained after the Zhou dynasty?
1) Qi, 2) Chu and 3) Qin
What were the two official kids of Chinese writing under Qin and standardization?
1) Stone carvings and 2) official documents
When was the Qin empire established?
221 B.C.
When did the last Zhou kingdom meet its end?
256 B.C.
How many workers are estimated to have died during the building of The Great Wall of China?
500,000 and some were buried between the stones.
How long did it take to build The Great Wall of China?
7 years
Why did builders use a variety of materials to build The Great Wall of China?
Because there were so many of one material so they needed to use a variety of materials. And sometimes when there wasn't enough places to bury the dead so they used their bodies to help build the interior of the wall.
How did the soldiers on The Great Wall communicate with each other?
By using signals. smoke was used during the day and fire at night. Signals would travel from tower to tower along The Great Wall until they reached the Qin capital
What were some things that were standardized during the Qin Dynasty?
Coins, weights, writing. Additionally, got rid of fiefs and ordered noble families who owned fiefs to move to Xianyang. It became illegal for people not in the army to carry weapons. Government officials ran counties and provinces...they had a single bureaucrac and the people of Chia were taxed heavily.
Who did Shi Haungdi's first advisors tell him to follow?
Confuscious
How do historians characterize the Qin government?
Cruel and uncaring because if you did not obey their rules you and your family would be killed.
Who wrote the most well-thought-out ideas about legalism?
Han Fei
What did Han Fei introduce to Shi Huangdi about legalism?
He believed that a government based on virtues and respect would not work. Instead he urged rulers to rely on laws and on the "two handles"...reward and punishment.
What did Shi Huangdi do to protect his large empire?
He built The Great Wall of China
What did Shi Huangdi get rid of from the Zhou dynasty?
He did away with the fiefs and ordered noble families who owned the fiefs to move to Xianyang. This forced move helped end any loyalty peasants had felt toward their nobles. Additionally, he made it illegal for anyone not in the army to carry weapons.
The First Emperor not only united China...what else did he do?
He extended the borders of the Qin Empire.
What happened when Shi Huangdi turned 20 in 239 B.C.?
He rejected the advice of his first advisors and appointed new advisors who taught him other ideas about governing. These ideas included the strict following of laws.
What purpose did The Great Wall of China serve?
It not only kept invaders out of China, it warned people when invasions were taking place.
What did Shi Huangdi put into place to help him rule his empire?
Legalism
Who was the most powerful of Shi Huandi's new advisors and what was his title?
Li Si and his title was Prime Minister.
What happened with Education as a result of standardization?
Li Si complained that there were too many books that praised the Zhou dynasty and he ordered them burned. If teachers refused to give them up they would be buried alive.
What is standardization? Give 3 examples.
Making all things of a certain type alike helped make trade and communication easier throughout China. It also helped many people in the empire think of themselves as "one." Examples include: 1) coins, 2) weights and 3) writing
What were the "two handles" Han Fei thought rulers should use?
Reward and punishment
Who became the king of Qin in 246 B.C.?
Shi Huangdi became the king in 246 B.C. when he was 13 years old.
What is legalism?
The strict following of laws and use of bureaucracy. It taught that people obey the laws out of fear and not respect. Under this system people who obey laws receive awards and those who do not obey are punished.
What is one of the most important events in all of Chinese history?
The uniting of China by the Qin Dynasty
As the empire grew communication became more difficult. How did ShiHuangdi solve this problem?
Used prisoners as workers to build new roads and canals. These workers built over 4,000 miles of roads. This linked even the most distant parts to the center of the Qin government at Xianyang.
What is the Qin Empire's capital?
Xianyang
Under Shi Huangdi who ran the countries and provinces?
government officials who reported directly to the central government in Xianyang. He created a "single bureaucracy" for the entire empire. To support this bureaucracy the people of China were required to pay heavy taxes.
What are provinces?
political regions of a country, similar to the states of the United States