Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC), born Ying Zheng, was the first emperor to unify China. Ascending the Qin throne at thirteen, he conquered the six rival states and proclaimed himself First Emperor in 221 BC. He standardized writing, currency, weights, and measures; connected border walls into the Great Wall; and replaced feudal fiefs with a centralized prefectural system.
Qin Shi Huang's legacy is deeply debated. His unification and administrative innovations laid the foundations of imperial China, but his harsh legalism and book burnings brought great suffering. Though the Qin Dynasty fell after just two generations, its centralized model of governance endured for over two thousand years.
