HST 197 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7-8: Qin Dynasty, Shang Yang, Xianyang
Document Summary
Shang yang encouraged peasant cultivators to migrate to sparsely populated states. He granted land rights to individual cultivators. This policy weakened the economic position of hereditary aristocratic classes. Established a tradition of centralized imperial rule that provided large scale political organization over the long term chinese history. He disarmed regional military forces and destroyed fortresses that might serve as points of rebellion. He demanded that all books of philosophy, ethics, history and literature be burned. His decree exempted works on medicine, fortune telling and agriculture because they had some utilitarian value. 460 scholars were burned alive because of their criticism of his regime. He standardized laws, currencies, weights and measures of various regions. Uniform coinage and legal standards encouraged integration of china"s society. Developed on complete script instead of derivatives of it. All people were to write using the common script. He died in 210 b. c. e. and had a lavish tomb built. 700,000 laborers were used to build his tomb.
