State · 221 BCE
Qin unifies China
Xianyang (Shaanxi, China)
After conquering the last of the rival Warring States, King Ying Zheng of Qin proclaimed himself Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor, in 221 BCE. He replaced hereditary lords with appointed officials in 36 commanderies and standardised the script, coins, weights, measures and even cart axle widths, while linking northern walls, building roads and ordering the burning of books from rival schools of thought.
Why it mattered
Although the Qin dynasty fell in 206 BCE, after only 15 years, it created the centralised imperial system and common written script that held China together under emperors until 1911.
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