Formed when Qin (one of the states during the Warring States period) conquered its neighbors to set up China's first imperial dynasty. The dynasty was known for its military discipline, its system of rewards and punishments and its attempts to increase grain production and distribution. Another distinction was the unification of earlier fortifications into a single defence system, built with much suffering amongst the local population who were forced to labor on it.
The system of rule differed from the old arrangement where provincial overlordship was held by the king's favorites on a hereditary basis. Under the Qin, provincial leaders were appointed by the central rulers, who could also have dismissed them should they have failed in their duties. Rebellion and uprising marked the final years of the Qin Dynasty.
A UNIFIED STATE:
The formation of the first unified state in the third century BC transformed life in China, including its defence walls. China was unified under [L3 201 / Qin Shi Huang], who annexed six [G 17 / principalities] to form the first central nation in Chinese history. He became the first Qin emperor in 221BC and a new border system was [L3 202 / erected].
