Qin Shi Huangdi: Was he a good or bad ruler?
Out of the several Empires that had led China into its greatness in the 21st century, the Qin Empire (221-206 B.C.E) is regarded as one of its most successful eras as it had paved the way to the construction of a more organized China. Under the leadership of Qin Shi Huangdi, the Chinese had both welcomed change and uniformity as he led the Qin Empire to greatness which is still visible in modern China. However, questions and arguments persist regarding Shi Huangdi’s leadership as he had also ushered the end of the various schools of thought throughout China and killed many innocent people for the sake of removing any bad trace of his rule and to serve as peasants for his luxurious rule. While he had indeed ushered a dark moment in Chinese history through the wars, murders and incineration of knowledge within China, Shi Huangdi’s rule had enabled China to address unification, uniformity, and utilization of new techniques, resources, and policies to strengthen China under his leadership.
Experts and historians, such as Crossley, Headrick, Hirsch, Johnson and Northup (2010), had painted Qin Shi Huangdi or Ying Zheng in two different sides: one, a talented and capable ruler for the Qin Empire and two, a cruel and ruthless leader. At the age of 13, he became the king of Qin and had his ministers first take care his state affairs, renaming himself as Qin Shi Huangdi “First Emperor”. However, as he grew older, he revealed both his capable and ruthless side that made him quite a ruler in his tenure. The first notable proof that Qin Shi Huangdi’s rule was not good for China’s history is the fact that he was known for his many wars of conquest that had been done for the sake of securing his power. The young king, upon his ascension to office, had launched a series of conquests throughout the nation, removing the influence of nomads in the territories. He had sent a large army to secure the northern territories as the nomadic tribes had continuously raided the farmers and herders that supply most of China’s food supply. While he had managed to push these nomads away from the territories, his attack had created the Maodun-led confederacy or the Xiongnu Confederacy that would become China’s major military opponent for the rest of his tenure and to the succeeding Empires. In addition to this ruthless war mongering of the Qin Emperor, Shi Huangdi’s tenure can also be seen as a bad one for China has he had led his people ruthlessly as they were mandated to join the army and construct all of his luxuries despite their capability and the harsh working conditions set upon them. . Yuan (2009) added that Shi Huangdi had utilized not just mandatory army and labor policies to the people, but he had also enforced repressive laws that caused people to work in two different jobs at the same time. Many who tried to disobey him and his rule were maimed or incarcerated as he wanted nothing more but to ensure that the people followed his ideal policy. Some were even killed to serve as an example to others for those who would want to disobey his rule. Finally, Shi Huangdi’s rule had also removed the Chinese people’s right to practice or study different subjects as he feared the possibility of people questioning his authority based on their opposing believe. In 213 BCE, he had ordered all textbooks which did not discuss divination, medicine, forestry, and agriculture to be destroyed or burnt; leaving one copy of each subject on the imperial library. He had also killed almost 460 scholars by burying them alive to stop them from teaching their schools of thought and to also stop them from writing negative things about him for the future generations. Some had even added that Qin Shi Huangdi had killed scholars, mostly from the Confucian school, since they were his staunch critics. He had also burnt most books to ensure that he can control the minds of the people .
While the infamous Qin Emperor had indeed caused several deaths and removal of knowledge within China, it is undoubted that it was under his reign that pushed China into its path towards greatness. In this end, history portrayed Qin Shi Huangdi to be the proponent of three important changes in China: unification of the Chinese Empire, uniformity of China’s structure and state of affairs and utilization of new techniques and resources to strengthen the Chinese society and showcase its advancement under the Qin leadership. First, Shi Huangdi, upon his ascension to office, had analyzed the nature of the Chinese realm and slowly devised a means to expand the territories under his leadership. Tanner (2009) explained in his work that Shi Huangdi had managed to expand throughout Inner China, claiming Eastern Zhou, Han (230 BCE), Zhao (228 BCE), Wei (225 BCE), Chu (223 BCE), Yan (222 BCE) and Qi (221 BCE). Shi Huangdi had then moved to designing measures that would enable his empire to become united culturally, economically and politically as he continued to expand his rule towards the South. He slowly worked towards claiming the Guandong and Guangxi provinces, as well as the Fujian province to ensure that his Empire is supported by produce and trade items. This move showed to the Chinese the potential of these three provinces, integrating them to China’s overall economic and cultural world. In the North, he had also reached the Ordos region, the Lanzhou region and several parts of Inner Mongolia . Li () added that Shi Huangdi had even established new counties such as Guilin, Nanhai and Xiangjun in the Southern areas, and even created vantage points to ensure that China’s unification under his leadership is unhindered .
The second important aspect of Shi Huangdi’s rule was his reorganization of the entire Chinese political, economic and social system, which supported the unification and development of the nation as his leadership enabled the reintegration of several territories back to the main Empire. Ong (2005) stated that prior to the Qin dynasty, the aristocrats or the nobles had mostly monopolized the administrative and legislative positions within the Chinese system. If one of the governors dies, the son would immediately gain the position similar to an inheritance. Shi Huangdi had seen that this system only opens the country into a corrupt and abusive system, abolishing it to establish a centrally controlled administrative system. Under this system, the officials, from the lowest of rank to the highest, would be appointed by the emperor. Each official is also tasked to handle and observe their fellow officials, while those in higher ranking must monitor his constituents. They must also be responsible and accountable for all their actions, following only the emperor’s decisions on tax collection, food production and other similar issues. Duiker and Spielvogel (2008) even added that the Qin rule had even divided the bureaucracy into three ministries: a civil block, a military block, and a censorate; which would act as the major advisers and observers of all leaders throughout the system. This particular system would be then further improved throughout the succeeding Chinese dynasties. Shi Huangdi had also introduced the merit system, which would enable officials to be promoted or demoted depending on the recommendation of other officials. He had also introduced a penal code to ensure that punishments would be immediately be enforced against perpetrators.
In the economic and social system, Shi Huangdi had introduced centralization and balanced competition that would benefit both the market and the government. He had eliminated the power of the aristocrats over their lands and distributed their lands to the peasants for them to cultivate and harvest, taxing them directly to ensure that the money goes straight to the government. He had also eliminated potential rivals that would still foster unstable partnerships and businesses, securing tax revenues in the process. Aristocrats had to live in the capital city of Xiangyang (Hsien-yhang) in Xian to ensure that the court would be able to monitor them. The peasants had been able to profit from the system since they no longer had to pay the fees to their landlords. In the social system, not only did Shi Huangdi established a penal and legal system to ensure that the Chinese would be guided accordingly, he had also unified the nation under one standard script and language. He also advocated the practice and belief in legalism that taught the Chinese to follow the law or face the harsh consequences of disregarding such laws .
Finally, the Chinese Empire would not have been as strong as history foretells it to be without Shi Huangdi’s introduction of new techniques and infrastructure to sustain the unification of the Chinese territories and the newly revised system. Ong narrated that Qin Shi Huangdi had introduced a standard currency and weighing system to allow the Chinese to properly administer and trade goods and services. A standard currency also enabled the Qin dynasty to regulate taxes and fees for most services such as rent and taxes. Shi Huangdi had also introduced the creation of carriages that had uniform axle lengths that served as vehicles for people to easily transport their goods or themselves throughout pathways. He also been the key in organizing China’s highway systems, from the capital in Xi’an to the rest of China. He had also created trading routes and passages such as the Southern Lingqu Canal that became China’s passage for both North and South, linking the Xian River to the Yangtze and Li Jiang parts of the Pearl River . Shi Huangdi had also built a “Long Wall” in the Northern region that would serve as a barrier that would protect the people from the nomads such as the Huns. While he did not live to see the creation of such wall, it was through Shi Huangdi that had founded the first few parts of what is now known today as the Great Wall of China .
Upon his death, Qin Shi Huangdi remains to be seen both as a ruthless leader that had restricted the Chinese way of life and as a leader that brought development and innovation which reconstructed China to what is seen today. On the one hand, Shi Huangdi’s rule was harsh and oppressive for he had forced his people to continuously rage into war for the simple reason he wanted to sustain his power, killed the innocent for his strict policies on mandatory military and labor training, and outlawed learning to stop opponents to his belief. As a result of his oppressive rule, he had created a more powerful opponent, the Xiongnu Confederacy, that would become China’s military rival for the succeeding empires; caused many deaths to pursue, and the obstruction of knowledge for the Chinese. However, his oppressive rule is overshadowed by his achievements since without his aid, China would not be a united and strong nation that has amazed a rich and organized history that is only possible with Shi Huangdi’s influence. He had successfully unified the separate Chinese territories into one centralized system that would ensure that leaders would only be accountable to one ruler and also ensure that there is a system that would maintain peace and balance in economic and social affairs, giving policies and laws to abide to for the people. Finally, he had also been the key to the creation of several new techniques such as the art of measuring and the creation of monolithic structures, such as the Great Wall of China and the Lingqu Canal that served as a line of defense and trading route for the Chinese people. Without his contributions, it is likely that China would have remained separated and under a system that would have further caused conflicts that would cripple China. Shi Huangdi, despite his ruthless rule, had been the key to ensure China would become a fearsome dynasty that defined China today.
References
Crossley, P., Headrick, D., Hirsch, S., Johnson, L., & Northup, D. (2010). The Earth and its Peoples: A Global History. Boston: Wadsworth.
Duiker, W., & Spielvogel, J. (2008). World History. Boston: Wadsworth.
Li, X. (2012). China at War. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Ong, S. C. (2005). China Condensed: 5000 Years of History and Culture. London: Marshall Cavendish.
Tanner, H. M. (2009). China: A History. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
Yuan, H. (2010). This is China: The First 5,000 Years. Great Barrington: Berkshire Publishing Group.
