Bibliography

Works Cited

Art, Suzanne Strauss. The Story of Ancient China. Lincoln,Massachusetts: Pemblewick Press, 2002. Print.

“Emperor Qin.” Wikapedia. N.p., 6 Feb. 2012  . Web. 21 Jan. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Qin_Shi_Huang>.

“Emperor Qin and Qin Dynasty.” Mr. Donn.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. <http://china.mrdonn.org/‌qin.html>.

“Han Fei.” wikipedia.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Han_Fei>.

“Pipa .” Wikipedia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Pipa>.

pipa&#8209;1. N.d. JPEG file.

qin_and_han_dynasty_map. N.d. PNG file.

"Great" Wall Kills Thousands -United China Post

   XIANYANG-   Emperor Qin the First Emperor of China has started construction on what he thinks will help protect China from invaders and other dangers. Infantry are gathering men from all different parts of China to work on the Wall. People are being separated from their families, and some never return again. Women and children are very scared and don’t know what is happening to their fathers and husbands. One woman said, “I have two children at home and my husband is the only one who works in our family. He was taken yesterday and I did could even say farewell to him. With no one working I fear we will not have enough coins to satisfy our needs.”

   Work was started this year in 219 BC. There are thousands of men working on the wall with just enough food and water for them to survive and keep working. Many accidents have occurred during the project and many people have died. Some stones have not dried into place and are slipping out of and killing multiple people. People are dying everyday by the hundreds. Not only are the bricks falling but people are dying of exhaustion, disease, barely enough food and walls caving in. Emperor Qin is also using: peasants, criminals, captured enemies, scholars and anyone who gets him angry. If Emperor Qin continues on like this thousands of Chinese men will die. How will China’s families survive without men working to receive coins to support their families? One soldier said, “Emperor Qin is building this wall for the people of China. He is thinking about your safety and sacrifices must be made for a better cause.” The one thing that the Emperor said that concerned this problem was “Thousands will die during the construction of the Wall, but millions will be saved because of it.” Many people say that each stone in the wall represents a life lost during construction of the Wall.  

Legalism

During the Qin dynasty, the belief system was Legalism. Legalism was started in the Qin dynasty by Han Fei Zi. Han Fei was a philosopher born in the Warring States period, during 280 BC. Legalism is a philosophy in which the ruler is strict and gives severe punishments and rewards. Legalism is considered to be the harshest punishment of all philosophies or belief systems.

Han Fei created the Basic Writings, which showed rulers how to use Legalism to govern China. In Legalism the people must try to avoid being punished, while at the same time trying to gain rewards. One quote of Han Fei that comes from the Basic Writing says, “It is dangerous for a ruler to trust others. He who trusts others can be manipulated by others.” The rulers of Legalism never trust anyone, because that can always be a distraction for attacks. Rulers did not even trust their own families! Han Fei believed that to rule successfully you must rule using fear as your main asset.

In China, during times with a Legalist government, people were in constant fear of being tortured or killed in various ways. They also, could be rewarded in many different ways for doing something helpful such as, winning a battle. In one case, the Emperor set up a marriage for the general of his army. Han Fei died in 233 BC and Legalism was not a very popular philosophy in China’s later history.

Qin's Wall of Death

   Emperor Qin our “wonderful” First Emperor has started work on his new project, The Great Wall of China. It is killing thousands of people and is a financial problem. It costs a good amount of money to work on a huge project like this. Qin should immediately stop work on his Wall.

  He is recruiting all sorts of people. There are peasants, criminals and enemies of China working on it. Not only are lower class forced to work on the Wall but, there are Men from all different families too. The work is very hard and many people cannot withstand a whole day in the sun. Soldiers are coming to towns and going into each home to bring fathers and husbands to work on the Wall. People die every day for terrible reasons. Exhaustion, rocks and disease are some of the most common ways people are dying. People are even dying of hunger! If the Emperor is forcing our men to work, he should at least feed them properly and care for their needs.

  If people disagree they only have one good reason. Qin says “Even though thousands will die, millions will be saved because of the Wall. This could be true, but how does he know this will be true? What if invaders attack during the building of the project?

Thousands will die, but is the Wall worth all these sacrifices?  The right choice is not to support the building of Qin’s Wall, because we can be sure that the facts are right. People are dying in front of everyone and the one thing to be that we know is that we don’t want anyone dying that is a part of society, because it will be a waste of a life .If thousands will die working on The Great Wall who will be a part of the Chinese Empire in the Future?

The Pipa

   The Pipa or the Chinese lute is a four to five stringed instrument. This instrument has been played in China for over 2000 years and is one of the most popular played in China right now. It is believed to date back to the Qin dynasty. In China, there are many different types of this instrument. Most of the information we have about the history of the Pipa is from the Jin dynasty. Some of the texts from the Tang dynasty include many famous Pipa players. One of the most famous stories tells about a Pipa battle between Kang Kunlun and a monk named Duan Shanben. Surprisingly, the Pipa has, also, been used in rock music. In the 20th century the Pipa was used by many artists. This instrument is very well known for playing national music and was played by Sun Yude and Li Tingsong, who have played traditional music for their country using the Pipa.

Qin Dynasty Map

   The Qin dynasty took place right after the Warring States Period. Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di was the first Emperor of this dynasty and the first Emperor of a united China. China was much smaller during the Qin dynasty. It is not even half of what we know as present China. In the Warring States Period China was broken up into small regions, and they did not represent themselves as a united nation. Warlords controlled each region and the people had to obey. Emperor Qin made China united and ended being in separate regions. XianYiang was a former capital of China in the Shaanxi province. It lies on the Wei River and is a grouping place for more than seven million people in China. The area occupied by the Qin dynasty was very rich in geographical features. Rivers and Seas are the most common features in the Qin state. But, the Gobi desert, as the sea, also served well for the Chinese. It provided defense against invaders. Many who crossed the Gobi Desert would also have had to face the Great Wall of China.

Interview with Emperor Qin

Emperor Qin, why have you started working on a wall and are gathering men from several of our villages?

I have started work on this wall because I do not believe China is safe from other enemies. If someone was to attack us, what could we do except fight? If another defense was built, such as this wall, our warriors would have a better chance of winning a battle and nothing happening to our homeland. I believe that this wall should be long and tall. Therefore I am naming it the Long Wall. We must recruit all the men from the villages for this idea to work. Many people will die, but it is a sacrifice that must be made to keep millions safe.

We also, have noticed that you have started work on a great tomb for yourself. Surely you are not in a hurry to die.

No, I will die, but not soon. This tomb is being built to show my glory to the Chinese people, and demonstrate how great Emperor Qin really is. I will include life size statues of all my warriors, so when I finally do pass on I will take my grand army with me to the afterlife.

Did you say you will not die soon? How is this possible? Most people only live until they are about 45-50.

That surprises you? Of course I, Emperor Qin, will not die for a long time. My court scientists and doctors have been concocting many potions that they say will make me become immortal. I am looking for the elixir of life. Even though I still do not know if these people are telling the truth, I will keep trying until one day I will finally become immortal.

There have been rumors that someone has tried to assassinate you, is this true?

Yes, the rumors are true. Two men fooled my guards into thinking they would present me a gift. When one of them opened a map a dagger was there and he immediately attacked me. Luckily, I cut his leg with my sword and he yielded. I have ordered them both to be executed. There will be no leniency.

   Is it true that you have started building many new great things for China?

Yes, I have started to build new ways to travel across gaps. These “bridges” are just like roads but are being supported by packed dirt or beams. I also am starting a measurement system as well as a new currency as well. For China to truly be the center of the world it must also advance in various ways.