Qin Dynasty

Ying Zheng becomes King of Qin

246 BCE

King Ying Zheng age 12 or 13, becomes King of Qin. He will ultimately lead Qin to victory in the Warring States period. After becoming king, Ying Zheng was given the name Shi Huangdi meaning "First Emperor".

Qin controls a major part of China

230 BCE

During the Warring States period, Qin gradually gains power through attacks. When the final campaign to unify China begins around 230 BCE, Qin controls one third of all the land under cultivation in China and one-third of China's total population.

Emperor Shi Huangdi unifies China and begins the Qin dynasty

221 BCE

The King of Qin, Ying Zheng, comes from the Warring States being victorious in China and unifies the country. He starts the Qin Dynasty and name himself the first emperor also called Shi Huang.

Construction of the Great Wall of China begins.

218 BCE

Ying Zheng decided to build the Great wall of china so the northern border of China was protected. The Great wall of China was about 1,500 miles long. A work force of 300,000 men was assembled to construct the Great wall Of China.

Emperor Shi Huangdi starts expanding toward the south

214 BCE

After securing territories to the north, Shi Huangdi sends the majority of his army south to conquer southern tribes. He greatly expands the southern territories of the empire.

Construction of of the Grand Canal begins

214 BCE

During Emperor Shi Huangdi campaigns to the south, Shi Huangdi start construction on the Grand Canal, which is used heavily for supplying and reinforcing troops during secondary campaigns.

Shi Huangdi orders book burnings

213 BCE

He orders these books to be burned, and only texts on farming, medicine, and predictions are saved. Why he ordered most of the books to be burned is the previously existing books be burned in order to avoid scholars' comparison of his reign with the past.

Shi Huangdi becomes interested with death

213 BCE

Following several assassination attempts, Shi Huangdi becomes increasingly obsessed with death and the concept of eternal life. He was driven to paranoia about death and started to take mercury to resist death

Scholars are executed

212 BCE

On the advice of his chief advisor Li Siu, Shi Huangdi orders scholars to be executed on a large scale, since many scholars opposed his book burnings.

Shi Huangdi dies and second son takes the throne

210 BCE

First Emperor Shi Huangdi dies on a journey through China. He is buried with an army of 8,000 terracotta warriors in his palace tomb. Prime minister Li Siu makes Hu Hai take the thrown after his father dies.

The Qin government collapses

206 BCE

Following Shi Huangdi death, the Qin government could no longer keep China unified. Rebel forces, each claimed the Mandate of Heaven, from across the country. Qin authority is finally overthrown in the capital of Xianyang in 206 BCE, and a series of battles for supreme authority starts.