Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor of China

A few points.

"Huang Di" is a combination of 2 Chinese characters, each means emperor but with some very significant differences.

"Di" means a human emperor or a real person.

"Huang" means deity emperor or imaginary emperor of religious theme.

Before the "1st emperor, there were other human emperors "Di". His great grand father had once called himself the "Di" of the west (western part of then China). There was an eastern "Di" of course.

So it isn't right to say the "1st emperor" was the first human emperor at all.

Huang or deity emperors of course have been around in religious context for centuries etc.

What the "1st emperor" did was to put the two terms together. He basically called himself a DEVINE human emperor.

It's like many Roman emperors made themselves 'devine' too.

Now let me be clear with the following bit about this.

After his short-lived dynasty ended, NONE (repeat NONE) of future emperors after his dynasty ever used the title of "DEVINE human emperor" at all whatsoever. Not one of the over 250 of them down to the 20th century.

Why?

Chinese have the belief that certain respects are only offered to the deities. A human, regardless of how much achievements has been attributed, cannot be compared to any of deities.

The "1st emperor" basically had offended the gods. Hence many saw it's the reason behind the very short 15 years of his dynasty and the deaths of his entire royal family as a result. One shall not dare to compare oneself to the gods. Simple

But the term has stuck in colloquial uses by everyone. But never in formal setting or titles by any other emperor's after 206BC. This term is still in use today.

Secondly, he wasn't also the first to conquer all China. Others had done it. The difference is that he introduced a new system of centralised control by the emperor himself. Before his days, it was a system of vassal states in the fashion in the Mediaeval Europe till about 1,300's when national states started to arise slowly. They had own military, tax system etc. Thats why they fought against one another non-stop.

(Germany, France and Italy had similar with different domains with own military fighting others. The unification didn't come till 1,500's for France and 1861 for Italy and 1870 for Germany)

Thirdly, his conquest of all China came from the sound foundation laid by his ancestors. About 150 years before his success, his ancestors brought in reform that greatly improve the economy and strength of his home state. His great great great grandfather started this reform. His great great grandfather waged war in successful outcomes weakened most of the rivals. His great grandfather wiped out the last remaining state that could challenge him. This then was left with none could pose any threat at all. They were easy targets.

Fourthly, the reason for the speedy fall of his dynasty was partly due to the harshness of his policies. Resentments brewed. Rebellions started the moment of his death.

His dynasty also didn't have time to consolidate at all. Old allegiance remained.

He also made a mistake of sending the bulk of his military far from China proper. Some to build the great Wall. Some to counter the inner Mongolia nomads. Half of his army were sent to today's Guangdong and Guangxi and northern Vietnam.

So when rebellions came, the military couldn't get organised fast enough. The half million troops down deep south didn't even come back home at all whatsoever.

Han dynasty, the dynasty afterwards, initially didn't change much of the policies of the "1st emperor" other than the reintroduction of independent domains. It took them over 50 years to go back to the centralised control of the "1st emperor ".

Han also didn't start as Confucius followers. But the 5th of its emperors decided to have Confucianism as the state doctrine. Wu Di was famous for the fact that he wasted the state coffer chasing the Inner Mongols all over the map for over 20 years. It's this Wu emperor that was the one that commissioned the writing of the history of China that we still use.

The "1st emperor " in many ways is overrated for his achievements. Without his ancestors' determinations and reforms and strategic warring against other states, he might have been defeated by others instead.

The common written script, the common measurement system, the common legal system etc were going to happen regardless sooner or later.

The fact that his offsprings lost his empire not even 3 years after his death says it all. He is overrated himself.

But his mystique persists. Just like the term Huang Di (Devine human emperor).

It takes a very special kind of committed asshole to drink Mercury.
It's time to re-examine your diet if every time you fart you lose two teeth.
Not talkin about them leaving out your mouth either. 😮

It was incredibly torturous listening to all the mangling of the names

Here from reading the manga kingdom and now i wanna learn more

So I'm here cause of an anime

Here because of Record lol

Man spends his entire life trying to ensure there’s not another waring states period and seeks immortality. Lmao, someone should’ve informed this man about reality

A. T. Great, Napoleon, and Qin did so much for being young!

I recently beat a game of civilization 6 with Qin

Entirely to much ting Ming ying sing for me, hard to follow along with who is doing what.

And his desire was ultimately fulfilled, just not as he wanted or expected. There's a wall over there that attests his immortality!🎉😊At least, so far!😅

Going on when the Punic Wars was happening. Insane.

Burning those books was a good move. Diversity for diversitys sake is the bane of a nation

I guess we’ll ignore how he beat Hades!!!

I know this video is old but not putting any chinese character or visual support about who you're talking about is really a pain. Especially the part describing where he grew up. I get that butchering names is not easy to avoid but at least help people understanding what we are talking about.

Bro looks like a discord mod

So the Han Dynasty chronicles sought to discredit Huang, yet the terracotta army and other funeral mound projects, which took at least 38 years to complete, were accomplished or at least started by the Han dynasts? Must've been a religious thing.

Some scholars claim that the Terracotta Army is not owned by Qin Shi Huang, but his great-great-grandmother, the empress dowager Xuan, or better known as Mi Yue!🤔

He was an extremely overweight rapist with a touch of down symdrome.

People who want to learn about Huang because of curiosity: ❌

People who want to learn about Huang because of record of ragnarok: ✅

nigga

The reign of Duke Xiao with Shang Yang doing those reforms is most important event in qin history as that established Qin by creating the most elite army in China as well as entire reform of government and land system that turned a weak, poor, backward state into a rich prosperous great power feared by the other states.

Han: Cannot expand due to neighbours
Jin: Am I a joke to you?

Who else comes from Historyskills?

Dude what is it with rulers going crazy when they have absolute power?

Yo this guy could beat Hades

Qin people are original Dongyi origin(Austronesian) that migrant to West,The original inhabitants of Gansu area is Indo-European aka Aryans,They have best equipment in that time of world,Qin came out of nowhere,And genocided them all with Stones and bows made of branchs.

his manhood was so large he could spin a wheel on it 🤣🤣😂

The very smart but ununited Chinese of ancient China! Their worse enemy is another Chinese!

More Americans need to learn Chinese history because we are a similarly powerful country today, although China itself is catching up.

Qin Shi Huang reminds me so much of Mao Zedong (especially with the book burning, totalitarian state, and mass deaths that happened under their respective reigns).

What makes him important is that the idology he used to rule China is pretty much still alive today in modern China, despite the world around them changed a lot.

This is my homework

Chiner

Your’re mispronouncing the name

it was Gaozu that the Han dynasty was formed.

I just read the latest release of Shuumatsu no Valkyrie when Qin Shi Huang fights against Hades and suddenly this vid appears in my timeline

He's in my dna therefore i am a desendent

Without Qin Shi Huang, the eastern side of Eurasia will be the same as Europe, divided into many countries.

Maybe Biographics could cover the life of Wong Fei Hung, one of China’s greatest martial artists and he had been portrayed on the silver screen by Kwan Tak Hing (in countless black and white Wong Fei Hung films), Jackie Chan (in two Drunken Master films) and Jet Li (in the Once Upon a Time in China film series sans the fourth and fifth films)

Qin shi huang vs Hades

Qin Shi Huang had 2 children negative 1000000000000000000000000000 social credit

Thanks for upload

Came here after reading Shuumatsu no Valkyrie

Use me as a Recork of Ragnarok like button

Li mu emu

Im here cause this dude is fighting the God of the Dead