kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia
Qin dynasty
Origins
Between 230 and 221 BCE King Zheng of the State of Qin conquered the six rival states, the last being the State of Qi. He took the new title Huangdi, emperor, and is known as Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor. His capital remained Xianyang in the Wei valley.
Rule and society
Advised by Li Si, the emperor abolished hereditary fiefs and divided the empire into 36, later more, commanderies run by appointed officials. Script, weights, measures, coinage and axle widths were standardised, roads and the Lingqu canal were built, and Meng Tian linked earlier walls against the Xiongnu. Harsh Legalist law, mass labour levies and the burning of books in 213 BCE bred resentment. The emperor's mausoleum was guarded by the Terracotta Army.
Decline and legacy
After the First Emperor died in 210 BCE, Zhao Gao and Li Si installed his son Huhai as Second Emperor. Revolts led by Chen Sheng began in 209 BCE, and in 206 BCE the last ruler, Ziying, surrendered to Liu Bang. The Han Dynasty kept the Qin system of centralised imperial government.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- State of Wey was conquered by Qin dynasty209 BCE
- Zhangchu was conquered by Qin dynasty208 BCE
- Nanyue split from Qin dynasty204 BCE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Qin dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qin-dynasty
- MLA
- “Qin dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qin-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Qin dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qin-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Qin dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qin-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻