Achievements

Unifying China

A major focus of Qin Shi Huang’s time as emperor was devoted to uniting the country as one, to replace the seven states. He did this in several ways by:

Person writing in Chinese onto a blackboard

©DEC

creating a common form of writing across the seven states
adopting the Qin half-liang coin as the one Chinese currency
standardising the length of vehicle axles and the width of all roads
unifying all weights and measures
ruling the country by a system called ‘Legalism’.

Great Wall of China

No physical symbol better represented the unification of the seven states that the Great Wall of China. This massive construction attempted to defend not just the Qin state but China as a whole. It brought millions of people together, not only in their lives but also after. The harsh terrain was one reason the death was so high.

Test your knowledge of some of the facts and myths of the Great Wall of China.

Section of the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China