Emperor Qin Shihuang began his rule in 221 BCE. His dynasty was short lived, spanning only fifteen years, from 221 to 206. He was the first ruler to call himself emperor over a united China. Qin believed he had a "mandate from heaven" to rule, a divine right, and that all people and land belonged to him.

In this short period of time, China saw a most progressive period.

China was unified and defined as one country during this time. Qin was brilliant in directives but he attempted to rule with absolute power and authority.

Qin dynasty accomplishments:

Writing, currency, weights and measures and legal systems were made standard. These systems unified China further in trade and written communication.

Legalism: Qin attempted to "standardize" human thought by bringing back the legalism philosophy. He burned most of the books in China to prevent free thought and resentment built toward him.

Political reform: Qin divided the country into 36 provinces and subdivided them into counties. The government became centralized and established political and economic institutions.

Great Wall of China: Built during the Spring, Autumn and warring states period, as independent walls of defense from warring neighbors, notably the Huns from the north. Qin successfully had the wall joined together to form the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall was a formidable defense and also symbolized the emperor's power.

Qin dynasty ends:

Heavy taxation and the many deaths that resulted from the Wall of China construction brought resentment and opposition to the Qin dynasty. Peasant uprising and Xiangyu's army warred against Qin. Liu Bang eventually conquered the capital of Qin ending the Qin dynasty.