Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Qin Shi Huang: China's First Emperor

Starting point is 00:00:00 In 259 BC, a boy by the name of Ying Zhang was born in the state of Chin in modern day China. He was born into the royal family of the kingdom and ascended to the throne at the age of 13. For most people, becoming king would be the pinnacle of their achievements. However, this was not to be the case for the king of Chin. He would go on to achieve a status that there wasn't even a word for. Learn more about Chin Shih Huang, the first emperor of China, his life, and his legacy on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Starting point is 00:00:31 What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night. And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. Chin Chih Huang is arguably one of the most influential people in Chinese history. If you read any list of the most influential and significant people in Chinese

Starting point is 00:01:19 history, his name will almost always be at or near the top. It isn't a stretch to say that Chin Shih Huang was responsible for the creation of China and that China wouldn't exist in the form it does today without the actions that he took over 2,000 years ago. To understand what happened, we need to understand the geopolitical situation in China at the time. Around the time of birth of Chin Shia Huang in 25, B.C., China was deeply embroiled in the warring states period, which had lasted from about 475 BC to 221 BC. This era followed the decline of the Zhou Dynasty and was marked by chaos, military conflict, and the rise of seven major states that all vied for dominance. The geopolitical landscape during this time was complex and characterized by shifting alliances, frequent warfare,

Starting point is 00:02:08 but also significant culture and technological achievements. China had broken up into seven major states during this period. Chin, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi. Each of the seven states had their own strength and weaknesses. Chin was located in the western part of China. Chin was initially considered to be barbaric by the other states, however it had an abundance of natural resources, notably iron and coal, which facilitated the development of strong military technology and infrastructure. Chu was the largest state in the south. It was known for its strong military and cultural influence, but was geographically isolated by mountains and rivers, which sometimes made it vulnerable to northern incursions.

Starting point is 00:02:53 Zhao was situated in the north-central part of China, and was a key military power that often bore the brunt of Chin's military expansions. Wei had a central location. It was a significant commercial hub, but it often found itself in conflict with its neighbors over territory. Han was one of the smaller states. Han was situated between several larger powers and struggled to maintain its sovereignty against more powerful rivals.

Starting point is 00:03:18 Yan was located in the northeast. Jan was geographically distant from the heart of the conflicts, but faced threats from both Qi and northern nomadic tribes. And finally, Chi was the easternmost state. Chi was economically prosperous and culturally advanced, with significant developments in trade and technology. The states often engaged in complex diplomatic maneuvers, forming, and breaking alliances to counter the powers of their rivals. Intrigue and betrayal were common

Starting point is 00:03:45 as each state sought to improve its position or survive. The constant shifting of alliances often led to wars that were as much about weakening opponents through attrition as they were about conquering territory. The best example I can think of to help make sense of this period in Chinese history would be Westeros in the Game of Thrones, but without any dragons to keep all the major houses in check. The man the world knows today as Chin Shih Huang was born at Yingzang. The whole naming of ancient Chinese nobility is shockingly complicated. The name Quinn Schehu Huang is really just short for Quinn-Huong-D, which literally translates to the first Chin emperor. He was born to the crown prince of Chin, who later himself became King Zhuan Zhang

Starting point is 00:04:32 in 250 BC. However, his reign was short, having only been king for a little over three years, and when he died, his young sung became King Zhang. As he was too young to rule in his own right, his mother's lover and his father's former friend, Lu Buwei, was appointed the royal regent. There have been rumors and theories that have existed for centuries that Lu Buwei was actually his father. After an eight-year regency, he ascended to the throne in his own right, and then the former regent Lu Buwei attempted a coup, with a man by the name of Lao Ai, whom Chin Shihung's mother had children with. Chin Shihong cracked down on the rebellion brutally, executing Lao Ai by tearing him apart with horses and killing all of his children and extended family. Lou Buwei was banished but lived under

Starting point is 00:05:20 the constant threat of execution, so he eventually just killed himself. With the death of Lu Buwei, Chin Chihung was now the undisputed ruler of Chin. Having put down a coup, now his concern was fending off assassination attempts by neighboring kingdoms. There were multiple attacks on his life, several of which where he had to beat off his attackers by hand. The reason for the assassination attempts was that Chin had the largest and most powerful army and the other warring states feared them. In the year 230 BC, the age of 29, Chin Shihung began a series of conquests of the neighboring

Starting point is 00:05:57 states. That year, the Han kingdom fell to Chin. The kingdom of Wei fell to. in 225 BC and the Kingdom of Chu was conquered in 223 BC. The kingdoms of Jan and Zhao were conquered in 222 BC, and the final of the seven kingdoms Qi fell in 221 BC. Having finally conquered all of his rival states, King Zhang renamed himself Chin Shui Huangdi. The title Huang Di was a new title.

Starting point is 00:06:27 He believed that having conquered so many kingdoms, the title of king was no longer sufficient. The word Huang Di was a combination of two words. Huang meaning shining or splendid, and D, which was the name of the high god in the ancient Chinese religion, and a reference to the mythical yellow emperor who used the title as well. The word translates into English as emperor, and it was the title used by all subsequent Chinese emperors. This is one reason why Chin Shih Huang is considered to be the first emperor of China. With the conquest of the warring states, the conquest of the chin didn't cease.

Starting point is 00:07:05 His armies continued in the south going all the way down to what is today Vietnam. While his armies continued south, the emperor set about leaving his stamp on his empire. He changed and instituted many laws. He completely eliminated all of the nobility in all of the kingdoms and replaced them with his own people. He built a system of roads throughout the country, and he established a system of weights and measures and also simplified the characters in the Chinese language. The Chin Emperor now began facing threats from the north. To counter the attack, the Emperor began construction of a great wall. There had been other small disjointed walls before,

Starting point is 00:07:45 but this wall was to be far greater than any ever built. And this is the origin of the Great Wall of China, the construction of which continued on for centuries. The other great engineering project he commissioned was the great Ling Chu Canal. The canal connected the Yangtzee and Pearl Rivers, the two largest waterways in the empire, which allowed for the movement of soldiers and goods between the two rivers. Internally, he cracked out on intellectuals and dissidents. In the year 213 BC, he had every book that was not explicitly about his regime burned. The next year in 212 BC, he had 460 scholars buried alive and another 700 stone to death. After that, all schools of thought or philosophies, including Confucianism, were banned.

Starting point is 00:08:34 The only thing that was allowed in the empire was the doctrine of legalism, a strict philosophy that emphasized severe punishment for lawbreaking and strong central authority, which coincidentally helped maintain control over the newly unified state, and it also led to widespread resentment. Despite all of the massive engineering projects, the purges of scholars, the political reforms, and the military conquests, none of these are the lasting memory that most people have of the Emperor Chin. The thing that most people associate with him is his quest for immortality. Being the ruler of all that he could survey probably went to his head.

Starting point is 00:09:14 He felt that he could use his power and influence as emperor to avoid death itself. Chin Xih Huang was deeply influenced by Taoist alchemy practices, which often promised the possibility of immortality through the ingestine of certain elixirs or the performance of specific rituals. Historical records detail the emperor's dispatching of emissaries to search for the mythical islands of the immortals where it was believed these life-pronging substances could be found. His court alchemist created many elixirs and potions for him to consume to extend his life. Ironically, many of them contained mercury, a highly toxic substance that probably ended up shortening his life, not extending it. Chin Chih Huang's most famous attempt to secure his immortality was through the construction of his massive mausoleum complex,

Starting point is 00:10:03 which is best known for the terracotta army that guarded it. The mausoleum itself was a monumental project. The life-sized statues were crafted to serve as the emperor's protectors in the afterlife, indicating his belief. in a continued existence that required safeguarding. There are over 8,000 statues of warriors that were used to guard him in his mausoleum. The amazing thing about the statues is that each statue appears to have been created based on an individual soldier. Each statue is unique, and no two are the same.

Starting point is 00:10:36 The terracotta warriors were only first discovered in 1974. However, as incredible of a discovery as the terracotta warriors were, the great discovery may yet to be found. The mausoleum complex, which has not been found, is believed to be an underground palace surrounded by a miniature cosmos, complete with rivers and seas of mercury intended to mirror the celestial bodies of the universe. Ancient account suggests that the emperor's tomb consists of models of palaces, scenic towers, and the hundreds of rivers of China represented by flowing mercury. This design was intended not only to serve the emperor in the afterlife, but also to protect the tomb by thwarting would-be robbers with traps and a seemingly endless celestial ocean.

Starting point is 00:11:23 Modern scientific studies, including soil analysis around the tomb mound, have found unusually high concentrations of mercury, lending credibility to the historical descriptions of the tomb's elaborate defenses and decoration. Chin Shih Huang is believed to have died on July 12, 210 BC at the age of 49. The imperial name he chose implied that he thought he would be the first of many rulers from the Chin dynasty. However, his dynasty was to be short-lived. After the Emperor's death, the Chin dynasty quickly fell into chaos due to harsh governance, widespread discontent, and a power struggle amongst his successors. By 206 BC, just four years after his death, the dynasty collapsed entirely under the weight of internal rebellion and external attacks,

Starting point is 00:12:10 leading to the rise of the Han Dynasty. While the Chin Dynasty barely survived Chin Shih Huang, his legacy can still be felt over 2,000 years later. The unification of China was something that every successive emperor and dynasty attempted to replicate. The title he created, Huang Di, was used by emperors up until the early 20th century. Moreover, the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Warriors, two massive projects that he built are two of the most important. iconic symbols of China today.

Starting point is 00:12:43 For these reasons and many more, Chin Shih Huang has gone down not only as China's first emperor, but also perhaps its greatest. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Benji Long and Cameron Kiever. I want to give a big shout out

Starting point is 00:13:02 to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon, including the show's producers. Your support helps me put out a show every single day. And also, Patreon is currently the only place where Everything Everywhere Daily merchandise is available to the top tier of supporters. If you'd like to talk to other listeners of the show and members of the Completionist Club, you can join the Everything Everywhere Daily Facebook group or Discord server. Links to everything are in the show notes.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Qin Shi Huang: China's First Emperor

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