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Kings and Emperors

Kings and Emperors. Legendary emperors in prehistoric times: Yao, Shun, Yu (Xia): the idealized Three Dynasties The “Golden Age” in Confucius’s view Yu became the “founder of China’s first dynasty,” the Xia Dynasty The existence of Yu remains a moot point

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Kings and Emperors

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  1. Kings and Emperors • Legendary emperors in prehistoric times: • Yao, Shun, Yu (Xia): the idealized Three Dynasties • The “Golden Age” in Confucius’s view • Yu became the “founder of China’s first dynasty,” the Xia Dynasty • The existence of Yu remains a moot point • Archaeologists have proved the existence of the Xia Kingdom or Xia Dynasty • Exact size, magnitude, civilization remain pretty much a mystery

  2. Unification and the First Emperor • Unification of China • Annexed six other states • Important figures: • Ying Zheng • Lü Buwei • Ying Zheng: China’s First Unifier • the First Emperor of China

  3. Image of the First Emperor • negative image: cruel, tyrannical, bloodthirsty, a despot, built luxurious palace, tomb, buried scholars alive, burnt books, totalitarian rule… • positive image: unified writing system, standardized units and measurements, built roads, laid the foundation of Chinese bureaucratic system • Important figures: Li Si, Zhao Gao, Meng Tian

  4. The Map of the Warring States: • Seven states: • Han • Zhao • Wei • Qi • Chu • Yan • Qin

  5. The Seven States: • Han: • Zhao: (Land of Late Coming) • Wei: • Qi: (Land of Devout) • Chu: (Land of Immaculate) • Yan: (Land of Swallows) • Qin

  6. Facts: Qin State • The State of Qin • Ying Zheng’s Ancestors: • Qin Xiaogong (the Educated Duke, r.361-338 BCE) • Lord Shang (Shang Yang): exemplary architect of statecraft and a legalist scholar and minister • Builder of Qin law: rigid, brutal, fair • Passionate reformer: enrich the state and strengthen the military • Qin Huiwen Wang (the Graceful Duke, r. 337-311 BCE) • Lord Shang killed • Zhang Yi became minister

  7. Suspect stories • Untold and suspect stories/accounts inspired fiction, play, drama, TV series… • Revolve around Ying Zheng, Yiren, Zhaoji, Lü Buwei, Gaojianli, Prince Yan, Jing Ke • Ying Zheng’s birth and his real father • Lao Ai’s affair with Zhaoji • Jing Ke’s assassination of the king of Qin? • After becoming the emperor • Burning books and buried 460 scholars alive • Sent Xu Fu and 500 boys and girls to the Penglai Island

  8. Facts • Unified China by coercion and force • Forced his minister to commit suicide • Constructed Qin wall (not the Great Wall) • Built roads and other public works • Built his own mausoleum • Wavered between superstition and rational thinking • Elements of importance: color (black), number (six), five phases (water) • Attempted to have Qin history written

  9. Consolidating the unified realm • Confiscated weapons • Melted down iron to cast bell hangers • Melted down bronze objects and turned them into a dozen massive statues in capital • Monopolized salt, iron, and alcohol

  10. Standardized Qin coinage and unit of gold (along with other weights and measures) • Unified scripts—”Small Seal” script

  11. Qin Law • Archaeological excavations of bamboo strips help us understand Qin Law • Thousands of bamboo strips unearthed in 1975, 1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993 • 1975 excavation of Judge Xi’s grave saw 1155 bamboo strips which consists of • Qin laws • interrogation documents • Legal cases

  12. Samples of bamboo strips unearthed in 1975 at the site of Judge Xi’s grave

  13. Emperor and history • Emperor manipulated historical writing • “All six kings have been chastised as they deserved” • Powerful minister and eunuch would do the same • Li Si • Zhao Gao

  14. A Bad Ruler and a bad minister? • Negative image resulted in Ying Zheng • being perceived and labled as a “bad ruler” • Li Si being a “bad minister” • Even a bad ruler has good qualities • Appreciated Han Fei’s talent • “If only I could once catch sight of this man and meet with him, I should die without regret.” • Han Fei, unfortunately, was poisoned by Li Si • Promoted domestic (interstate) trade

  15. Emperor’s Family • Facts remain unknown: • Wives and concubines? • Fusu • Huhai

  16. Qin Penal Codes and Wall Building • Qin penal codes laid down the foundations for Chinese penal codes throughout history • Harsh capital punishments were used: • Mutilations, • lightest of it is tattooing • Hacking off a convict’s nose • Removal of one or both feet or of the toes and front part of the foot • Decapitation • Hacking in half at the waist • Body torn asunder by five horses or four horse-drawn chariots • castration followed by execution • Labor—build wall

  17. Wall Building • Origin of wall building • Dikes, dams, levees • Reasons for wall building other than defense • Farming • Communications • Who joined wall building? • Convicts • Pardoned criminals • War captives • Peasant Corvée labors • Slaves of all sorts Remains of Qin Wall

  18. Qin Wall and Folklore • New legend developed: Méng Tian’s invention of the writing brush • Old legend retold: Mèng Jiangnü, widow of a wall-builder, screamed and a section of the wall crumbled • The tale morphed into full-fledged fiction, novel, play, and turned into literary works, including poetry, temple history

  19. The Great Wall Myth • The myth: The Qin built the Great Wall • The lack of evidence • Notion of The Great Wall is based on charts provided by three Jesuit fathers in the early 18th century • Earliest textual reference to Wall: • A wall built by the state of Chu (Land of Immaculate) in the 7th Century BCE • Qi, Wei, Yan, and Zhao followed suit • They built walls in 5th C. BCE (Qi) and ,4th C. BCE (Yan, Wei, Zhao (see picture)

  20. Journey to Mount Tai (Taishan) • On Mount Tai • Performed required ceremonies on Mount Tai, only to be interrupted by a storm • Erected a stone tablet that showed the emperor’s achievements and greatness Mount Tai

  21. Facts or Legends? • Quest for immortality: • Search for the Isles of the Immortals • Xu Fu led 500 virgin girls and boys to Penglai in Eastern Sea to look for immortality pills, elixirs, or longevity potion… • More assassins: • Zhang Liang and Can Hai Gong

  22. Inspection Tours--Increasing Hubris • Journey to Mount Langya • A memorial carved into a monument praised his imperial grace brought happiness to his people • Journey to Pengcheng • Claimed his achievement was greater than that of the demi-gods of old • His government was better than all other governments • At Jieshi • A monument was erected to boast that he had “exempted the innocent from taxation”

  23. Ying Zheng’s Death • Despite many assassination attempts, the First Emperor died at the height of summer in his carriage while returning to Xianyang from his inspection tour • His corpse rot within the carriage and began to smell • Zhao Gao arranged a fish cart to be placed close to the First Emperor’s carriage • Ying Zheng’s body was laid to rest in a mausoleum beneath Mount Li • His tomb was surrounded by graves of his sons and officials….

  24. Ying Zheng’s Successor • Zhao Gao and Li Si co-oped to make Huhai Ying Zheng’s successor • Prince Fusu was ordered (by Zhao Gao) to take his own life • Other princes and princesses were executed for no reason • Zhao Gao removed all his enemies • Huhai was installed as the Second Emperor of the Qin • He also journeyed to Mount Tai to offer his respects to heaven • Zhao Gao made himself the sole “adviser” to the new emperor by getting rid of Li Si

  25. The Fall of the Qin • Huhai continued his father’s project • New venture Apang Hall, which was never completed, was one of the architectural wonders • 144 square kilometers • Could house 10,000 people • Massive public works resulted in social unrest • Revolt broke out • Zhao Gao killed the Second Emperor in the third year of his reign • Zhao Gao made Ziying King of the Qin but was stabbed to death five days later • Ziying was Qin King for 46 days • Rebels entered Xian Yang. Ziying was killed by Xiang Yu.

  26. The First Emperor’s Tomb • UNESCO: “No doubt thousands of statues still remain to be unearthed at this archaeological site, which was not discovered until 1974. Qin [Shihuang] (d. 210 B.C.), the first unifier of China, is buried, surrounded by the famous terracotta warriors, at the centre of a complex designed to mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianyan. The small figures are all different; with their horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces of realism and also of great historical interest. “

  27. The Eighth Wonder of the World • Pits 1, 2, &3: 8,000 terracotta soldiers • Pit 1: 6,000 • 87 sculptors’ names have been discovered • They were probably masters, • If each of them had 10 disciples, there would be 870 sculptors at the least

  28. Bronze swords in their hands remain sharp and shinning after 2,000 years, fashioned out of a rare alloy of thirteen metals • Some argue that the same technique was not available in Germany until 1937, nor was it available in the US until 1950 • Each chariot consists of 3,000 parts, indicating the complexity of the structure • 2005--discovered numerous Qin coins in the tomb

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