<Tr> <Td_colspan="8"> <Ul> <Li> view </Li> <Li> talk </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> view </Li> <Li> talk </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Qin dynasty (Chinese: 秦 朝; pinyin: Qín Cháo; Wade--Giles: Ch'in Ch'ao) was the first dynasty of Imperial China, lasting from 221 to 206 BC . Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), the dynasty was founded by Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin . The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the Legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the fourth century BC, during the Warring States period . In the mid and late third century BC, the Qin state carried out a series of swift conquests, first ending the powerless Zhou dynasty, and eventually conquering the other six of the Seven Warring States . Its 15 years was the shortest major dynasty in Chinese history, consisting of only two emperors, but inaugurated an imperial system that lasted, with interruption and adaptation, until 1911 . </P> <P> The Qin sought to create a state unified by structured political power and a large military supported by a stable economy . The central government moved to undercut aristocrats and landowners to gain direct administrative control over the peasantry, who comprised the overwhelming majority of the population and labor force . This allowed ambitious projects, such as connecting walls along the northern border eventually developed into the Great Wall of China . These projects involved three hundred thousand peasants and convicts . The Qin introduced a range of reforms such as standardized currency, weights, measures, and a uniform system of writing, which aimed to unify the state and promote commerce . Additionally, its military used the most recent weaponry, transportation, and tactics, though the government was heavy - handedly bureaucratic . Han dynasty Confucians portrayed the dynasty as a monolithic tyranny, but this view has been rejected by modern scholars . There was indeed an attempt to restrict criticism and purge traces of old dynasties, but not the alleged burning of books and burying of scholars . Recently excavated Qin texts show a more pragmatic and eclectic approach in contrast with descriptions in traditional texts . Qin administration has been judged to be no harsher than was prevalent at the time . The Qin were not doctrinaire: Confucian and Legalist philosophies coexisted during the reign of the First Emperor . </P>

Who was the chinese emperor who founded the chin dynasty which became the basis for the name china