Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor)
First emperor of a unified China, r. 221–210 BCE
- Born
- c. 259 BCE, state of Qin
- Died
- 210 BCE, while touring the east
- Reign as emperor
- 221–210 BCE
- Known for
- Unifying China; standardizing script and measures; the terracotta army
- Main source
- Sima Qian, Shiji
The king of Qin who unified China in 221 BCE, sought an elixir of immortality, and was the subject of an ominous meteorite inscription in 211 BCE.
What is Qin Shi Huang known for?
Ying Zheng became king of the state of Qin as a boy and, by 221 BCE, had conquered the other warring states and declared himself Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor. He standardized writing, weights, measures and currency, linked earlier walls into a northern defensive line, and ordered the burning of many books. His tomb near Xi'an, with its army of terracotta soldiers, is one of the great archaeological finds of the 20th century.
Most of what is known of his life comes from Sima Qian's Shiji, written about a century later. It records his search for an elixir of immortality. It also says that in 211 BCE a meteorite fell in Dongjun and someone carved on it that the First Emperor would die and his land be divided. When no culprit was found, he had the people living nearby put to death and the stone destroyed. He died the following year on a tour of the east.
Historians treat the Shiji as a valuable but sometimes hostile source written under the Han dynasty that replaced Qin.
The 211 BCE meteorite carved with a prophecy of his death is one of the site's recorded sky omens.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Qin Shi Huang'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Qin Shi Huang'Reference
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