Valdez Mcfarlane

07/02/2023 · Elementary School

After conquering his rivals, the king of the state of Qin established China's first empire in 221 BC and took the title of First Emperor, or Qin Shihuang. To centralize power, Qin Shihuang divided the country into provinces, administered by prudently selected ministers. To prevent dissent, he confiscated all weapons belonging to private citizens. He then moved thousands of nobles to the capital where he could keep them under observation. To unify the country, he standardized the Chinese script, weights and measures, and coinage. To avert northern barbarian incursions, he used conscript laborers to construct the Great Wall. Moreover, in order to silence criticism, he executed scholars and burned most of the classic Chinese texts. Fearful of being assassinated, Qin Shihuang died while searching for the elixir of immortality, and his dynasty quickly disintegrated. The passage implies that the reign of Qin Shihuang was A plagued by revolt. B inefficient but humane. D inspired by intellectuals.