Shi HuangDI |
Shi Huangdi began his rule at age 13 in 247 BCE, and had conquered and unified all of China by 221 BCE. (Human Drama, page 248) He chose his name because of its meaning. Shi means first, Huang means sovereign, and Di means lord. It is the same name as an ancient sage ruler, so Shi Huangdi probably adopted this name in hope of being linked to the past greatness of his ancestors. (Human Drama, page 248) He was constantly suspicious of his subjects trying to harm him, or take over his rule, and went to extreme measures to prevent this. He even had people taste his food before he ate it! (Human Drama, page 251) Shi Huangdi was obsessed with immortality. He sent 3,000 people on a voyage to find elixir for him. (Human Drama, page 252) He also had a tomb made with 6000 lifesize soldiers guarding it, where he intended to spend eternity. (Human Drama, page 251)
SHI HUangDI; Ruling
After he conquered all of the states, Shi Huangdi attempted to unify all of China, by standardizing weights and measures, making a common written language, building the great wall, and much more. (Ellis, page 102) He ordered his armies to force all of the nobles to move into his capital so they would have no basis of power they could use to revolt. (Human Drama, page 248) As a ruler, he was very harsh, as described in the legalism section, and as many as 100,000 people died as a result of his policies and laws. (http://www.sacu.org/qinemperor.html) He created edicts which served as laws that everyone had to follow. (Human Drama, page 249) He killed 460 Confucian scholars. Some were burned alive and some were buried up to their necks and then beheaded. (Human Drama, page 249) He ordered the destruction of all books and writing other than texts on things such as agriculture or medicine. (Ellis 102)
STRUCTURE
Once Shi Huandi had conquered all the states, he abolished feudalism and separated the land into 36 provinces. (Ellis 102) Shi Huangdi made sure that no one person had too much power so as to insure that he would not be overthrown. (Human Drama, page 249) Each province had an appointed civil governor, a military commander, and an inspector. (Human Drama, page 249) Fear and control were to key features in holding up this society. (http://www.ancient.eu/Qin_Dynasty/) Family members and neighboors had to report all crimes they noted of, or else they would suffer the same punishment as the law breaker. (Human Drama, page 249)
LEGALISM
In the Qin Dynasty, Shi Huangdi had ultimate power because he followed the philosophy of Legalism. (Human Drama, page 249) The founder of legalism as a philosophy was Hanfeizi. (Ellis 101) Legalism was a philosophy based on control, so whenever a law or punishment was put into action, power was taken away from the subjects, and given directly to the sovereign.(http://triceratops.brynmawr.edu/dspace/handle/10066/5251) Legalism states that the only way to achieve order is to pass strict laws and give out harsh punishments. (Ellis 101) Some of the many overly harsh punishments include cutting off noses, branding heads, boiling people alive, tattooing faces, and actually removing the ribs from someone's body. (Human Drama, page 247)