Importance of the Qin Dynasty in China

The Qin Dynasty of China was a very important dynasty that helped China in a variety of ways. It did many things that no other dynasty has even attempted. The dynasty brought new inventions, and their accomplishments were astounding. Their government and military were exemplary. The Qin Dynasty is a perfect example of a fantastic civilization that is one step ahead of the rest.

The Qin Dynasty’s location and climate helped shape the dynasty in many ways. The dynasty is a large, vast land with an abundance of plateaus, plains, and mountains.

With the Pacific Ocean to the east, mountains to the south, and deserts to the north and west, the dynasty was thoroughly protected, and it was believed to be almost impenetrable. The dynasty also had two very prominent rivers at its disposal, the Huang He and the Chang Jiang. The climate of the dynasty was very warm and humid with the occasional seasonal winds. These farmers who grew crops benefited greatly from the warm climate.

(Maria) Overall, the climate and location were very beneficial to the Qin Dynasty.

Even though the Qin Dynasty was short-lived, it accomplished a substantial amount. The Qin Dynasty unified and expanded China with a series of wars and battles. The Qin Dynasty standardized various weights and measures which helped the economy prosper and lessened the chance of an unfair purchase. (ancient-Chinese-facts.com) The dynasty standardized written language which improved communication over long distances and currency which helped marketing and trade. (Britannica) The dynasty also built many sets of roads that helped unification and the overall growth of the economy.

Get quality help now

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified

Proficient in: China

4.7 (235)

“ Amazing writer! I am really satisfied with her work. An excellent price as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

(ancient-Chinese-facts.com) The Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall of China to diffuse the constant threat of invaders. (travelchinaguide.com) The Qin Dynasty had amazing inventions that were beneficial. The Qin Dynasty was responsible for the invention of the crossbow which was very helpful during the war. The dynasty also created the irrigation system which helped to farm greatly. The Qin Dynasty formed the standard multiplication table. They also created the idea of legalism which is adherence to the law. (Zorn) These innovations greatly changed many aspects of the Qin Dynasty and even the world today.

The structure and design of the buildings and monuments of the Qin Dynasty tie themselves back withto its culture. One of the most monumental structures, the Great Wall of China, was mostly built and planned out in the Qin Dynasty. The Great Wall of China was the interconnection of the remaining pieces of the walls from the Zhao, Yan, and the Ex-Qin states. The emperor of the time, Qin Shi Huang, forced them to connect the walls to provide even more protection. About 2 million workers, which consisted of soldiers, war captives, and those who were pronounced guilty were forced to construct it. The wall wasn’t finished by the time the dynasty fell, but they left an unfinished project to be continued by later dynasties. (travelchinaguide.com) The structure and the design of the buildings are unique as well. City walls that were used for defense were very prominent and even secondary walls to stabilize the first were used quite frequently. There were many differences when it came to the important federal buildings. Very intricate details were added to show supreme power and authority over others. They demonstrated this by making certain features such as pillar gates, terraces, and high towers and buildings. (Qin Dynasty, Wikipedia) There is much to learn about the significance of the architectural aspects and how it ties back to their government beliefs and culture.

The government and military of the Qin Dynasty were very powerful and proved to be an enemy of many. The dynasty had a centralized, bureaucratic government and was completely overseen by government officials. The dynasty was administered entirely by specialized appointed officials chosen by the emperor. Their job was to deal with and complete all of the tasks for the royal family and to keep their burdens to a minimum. It is with this emperor and his advisors that they instituted this new centralized government that would be used in later dynasties as a structure for their government. It is under this government that both the military and government prospered. With this new government came many discrepancies the government as well. For instance, a commander named Hu ordered the men to attack all of the poor to increase the number of supposed criminals killed. The emperor Qin Shi Huang also greatly improved the military. The militia used the most advanced weaponry of the time such as iron swords and the crossbow. They also used the best methods of transportation such as the usage of cavalry within the troops. The dynasty also fortified many city walls and even built a terracotta army consisting of numerous life-sized statues for the emperor’s tomb. These terracotta statues were intended to protect him during the afterlife. (Qin Dynasty, Wikipedia) Overall, the Qin Dynasty’s military and government proved to be one of the strongest in all of Chinese history.

The economic status of the Qin Dynasty supports the high reputation of the dynasty. It was very easy to purchase items across the land because of the common currency. The dynasty also instituted higher taxes to keep the economy stable and in constant growth. One of the most important things about the economy of the dynasty was their main policy which stated that the wartime economy was instituted even during peacetime. This policy helped the economy stabilize even after years of constant warfare. (Theobald) The social structure of the dynasty was very distinct. There was a specific order and way to treat everybody based on their social status. From the highest level to the lowest level, the tiers are as follows: Emperor, politicians, peasants, workers, artists, merchants, and soldiers. The Emperor and the politicians were the only two social classes that had wealth. The soldiers were too busy at war to have anything, while the artists and the merchants were always reclusive and hiding away from officials. Even though the highest on the list, the peasants didn’t have much for themselves. Also, women had absolutely no rights, and they aren’t even considered worthy of rights. (thefabulousqindynasty.weebly.com) The prosperous economy and the social structure were essential to the development of the Qin Dynasty.

The Qin Dynasty’s religion was a lot like the religion of the early imperial dynasties. Their religion was mainly focused on the spirits and shadows, their realms, and how they interact with the human world. They believed in a world completely parallel to this one, and they made animal sacrifices. They did this act to make sure that the people going to the parallel world would get there safely and to ask them for blessings. All of their religious practices and ceremonies were held in shrines, and meditation and divination were very important practices of their religion. Their philosophies completely shaped the growth of the dynasty. The emperor banned any non-legalist practices and philosophies, and he instituted the idea that only his way was the correct way. He then put forth legalism and forced everyone to follow his beliefs. He suppressed people who didn’t agree with him and he also eliminated the merchants and scholars that were considered useless. He even went so far as to burn all of the books that contradicted his ideas which continued to anger the people of the Qin Dynasty. (Qin Dynasty, Wikipedia) The religious and philosophical tyranny eventually lead to the downfall of the dynasty

Many factors lead to the downfall of the dynasty. There had been many assassination attempts against Qin Shi Huang, so he became very paranoid and sought out a source of immortality. He searched long and hard for something to make himself immortal, which ultimately lead to his demise. He died while drinking an elixir that promised to make him immortal. Because Qin Shi Huang died, his son, Qin Er Shi, took his place. The officials that were appointed to help the emperor were evil and tried to manipulate the new emperor because of his youth. They manipulated him into increasing taxes, and the unhappy men enlarged the army and forced him into killing many ministers and princes. This tyranny leads to the revolt of the unhappy mailed. Zhao Gao, one of Qin Er Shi’s officials, tricked him into committing suicide because he had “failed” From hearing this, Ziying, the nephew of Qin Er Shi, executed Zhao Gao because of his trickery. This ledto to even more revolt from the people which made the Qin surrender and this marked the beginning of the Han Dynasty. (Qin Dynasty, Wikipedia) The Qin Dynasty fell, but the impact still shapes China today.

The Qin Dynasty of China was a very important dynasty that helped China in a variety of ways. It provided the basis for many things that many countries still use today. Overall, the Qin Dynasty was a civilization that took pride in its excellence in many aspects and its richness in culture and life.