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Qin Dynasty (221–206 b.c.)

Previously a minor state in the northwest, Qin had seized the territories of small states on its south and west borders by the mid-third century B.C., pursuing a harsh policy aimed at the consolidation and maintenance of power. Soon thereafter, Ying Zheng (259—210 B.C.), who would reunite China, came to the Qin throne as a boy of nine. He captured the remaining six of the "warring states," expanding his rule eastward and as far south as the Yangzi River, and proclaimed himself First Emperor of the Qin, or Qin Shihuangdi. Qin, pronounced chin, is the source of the Western name China.

Qin Shihuangdi is credited with building the Great Wall of China and reviled for a state-sponsored burning of Confucian works and other classics in 213 B.C.

Related

Timelines (1)

• China, 1000 b.c.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.)
• List of Rulers of China
• Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China

Other Thematic Essays (9)

• Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
• Music and Art of China
• Neolithic Period in China
• Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127)
• Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589)
• Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)
• Tang Dynasty (618–906)
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Painting
• Yuan Dynasty (1271

Maps (1)

• World, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.

Index Terms (5)

Art Movement/Style

• Warring States of China

Geography/Place

• China

Material and Technique

• Sculpture in the Round from East Asia

Subject Matter/Theme

• Archaeology from Asia
• Funerary Art from East Asia

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Throughout his rule, Qin Shihuangdi continued to extend the empire, eventually reaching as far south as Vietnam. His vast empire was divided into commanderies and prefectures administered jointly by civil and military officials under the direction of a huge central bureaucracy. This administrative structure served as a model for government in China until the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911. Qin Shihuangdi also standardized the Chinese script, currency, and system of measurements, and expanded the network of roads and canals. He is credited with building the Great Wall of China by uniting several preexisting defensive walls on the northern frontier; and reviled for a state-sponsored burning of Confucian works and other classics in 213 B.C.




Excavations begun in 1974 brought to light over 6,000 lifesize terracotta figures from the vast army guarding the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries in Mainland China. Although his tomb chamber has not yet been unearthed, historical records describe it as a microcosm of his realm, with constellations painted on the ceiling and running rivers made of mercury.

Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Asian Art. "Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/qind/hd_qind.htm (October 2000) Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Watt, James C. Y. "The Arts of Ancient China." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 48, no. 1 (Summer, 1990). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF Valenstein, Suzanne G. "Highlights of Chinese Ceramics." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 33, no. 3 (Autumn, 1975). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF Hearn, Maxwell, and Wen Fong "The Arts of Ancient China." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 32, no. 2 (1974). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF