A ruler from the western state of Qin united and subjugated the Warring States and formed China in 221 B.C. He declared himself the first emperor of China and named himself Shi Huangdi (meaning First Emperor).
During the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty
(221 B.C. - 206 B.C.), the emperor connected and extended the old fortification
walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500
years ago), forming the of China to stop invading barbarians from the north.
were accidentally discovered by Chinese
peasants while digging a well. This discovery prompted
archaeologists to proceed
to Shaanxi.
The Emperor standardized Chinese writing, bureaucracy, scholarship, law, currency, weights and measures. He expanded the Chinese empire, built a capital in Xian, a system of roads, and massive fortifications and palaces.
Shi Huangdi (259-210 B.C.) was a cruel ruler who readily killed or banished those who opposed him or his ideas. He is notorious for burning virtually all the books that remained from previous regimes. He even banned scholarly discussions of the past.
The Qin dynasty ended soon after
his death, but a unified China remained for over 2,000 years. China's name
is derived from his short but seminal dynasty, Qin (pronounced Chin).