First Emperor of China
What do you think were the best or most admirable traits of the First Emperor of China?
What are your criticisms of him?
example
1 . After watching Video King of the Qin, the most admirable traits of the First Emperor of China was that he was strong and had an apparently strong army of his own. He also had tombs, such as terracotta warriors that represent how strong he was in terms of size and how that represented how powerful he was during at that time. He created system of laws, including lineages, to pass down powers generation after generation to create a sense of power and privilege, especially among family and friends. He later became well-known for the overseeing of conquered parts of China, including the Great Wall.
Criticisms of him is that he seems very unforgiving, often giving punishments and being mostly a totalitarian type of government. This shows a harsh reality of what people apparently lived through during that time, especially with an army large enough, such as the ones described as terracotta warriors. He also enslaved and demanded labor, especially for the Great Wall in order to secure China that seems to show another harsh reality of what people went through.
2.
Question 1
Some of the First Emperor’s (Qin Shi Huang) traits that I found admirable were his Visionary Leadership, reforms, charisma, and his willingness to bear the name of Tyrant. He knew that if there was to be peace, China had to be united. But for that to happen, he needed to start a war against the other states. Where millions, if not billions, would die. The last time that China was almost united was under the state of Wei, but they were pushed back and almost destroyed completely. But even after he united China, he had to create a standard writing, measurement, and money system all from scratch because each state that was conquered and integrated had its own language, money, and writing system. Even the Great Wall of China, which was built during his reign, was seen during his time as an emblem of his tyranny and to prevent anyone from escaping China. But in reality, it was to keep the Manchurians and other nomadic tribes from raiding into Northern China and pillaging the towns and cities.
I also agree with his views on Legalism because the Qin Empire had just been established, and there were still remnants of the destroyed state still fighting across the empire. Even though the laws were harsh, they were necessary until the remaining pockets of resistance could be extinguished and stability could be restored. I also agree with his strict rule, where corruption was allowed to manifest, then China would still be at war with itself for another 300 years.
Question 2
The one thing I would criticize is the burning of books and the jailing of scholars. I agree that it was dangerous to speak out when the empire was laying down it’s foundation’s for future generations of emperors, but I think it would have been fine to hear them out and make it seem that they were given power, but in actuality, they didn’t really wield any at all. So that the supporters of these scholars will calm down because the main threat I see wasn’t the scholars but the supporters of them and the ones behind them.
3. I think one of Qin Shi Huangs most admirable traits was his ambition and strong leadership. He was able to unite China after years of division which was a huge achievement. He also created standard systems for writing money and measurements which made communication and trade much easier across the empire. These changes helped China become more organized and connected. His vision for large projects like the early Great Wall also showed that he was thinking about long term protection and strength for his empire.
However my biggest criticism is how harsh and strict his rule was. He believed in Legalism which focused on strict laws and heavy punishments for even small mistakes. He burned books and punished scholars who disagreed with him which limited freedom of thought and learning. He also forced many people to work on large construction projects in unsafe conditions which led to a lot of deaths. While he was effective as a leader his methods caused suffering and fear among his people.
4. I think the most admirable traits from the first emperor of china had to be his ambition. The first emperor of china, Qin Shi Huang, would act quickly when achieving his vision for china. He had a vision of china being unified, in doing so, managed to conquer many things. He started the initial construction of the Great Wall, to prevent invasions and till this day remains a renown historical landmark. He standardized written Chinese allowing communication across china and standardized measurements for weight and length.
However my criticisms about the emperor lies within his cruelty and harsh punishments. He burned Confucian books and burned scholars who criticized him. His government was legalism which had strict laws and collective punishment. He became very paranoid about death and gained interest in immortality. He would then execute those who were unable to give him a potion of immortality. Though his Great walk ended up an important part of history, due to the unsafe nature of it all man deaths were caused because of these projects. This caused his people to inevitably resent him.
5. I believe Qin Shi Huang’s most admirable traits were his leadership qualities, along with his ambition and innovation, making a strong suitor of the title he claimed as First Emperor. His most historical achievements such as the unification of China, and beginning construction on The Great Wall of China, both of which hold significant importance in the modern era. He also appointed his royalty based off of merit and loyalty, opposed to a single divine ancestry, an assumably better decision. His leadership was made evident with the introduction of completed writing systems, and currency to go along with his dominion over China. In attempts to grow the empire, Huang took on many construction efforts. The inception of standardized measurements was necessary in the creation of such architectures, another great innovation tied to his great ambitions for the Chinese overall. Which lead to growth economically, but later revealed as apart of the downfall of the Qin .
My criticisms of him would be his usage of harsh punishments, the disintegration of books and scholars, and wrongful labor usage leading to deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Huang’s way of governance was through the implementation of Legalism, where he brutally murdered people over petty crimes such as a missed construction deadline, or an alchemist being unable to retrieve his life-rejuvenating herbs and elixirs; since he was obsessed with immortality. Also, burning alive 460 Confucian scholars, after they criticized the Emperor’s regime. Unwittingly, he sent thousands of workers to death every year during his reign, with unsafe construction conditions and regrettably large projects.
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