The Many Lives of the First Emperor of China

"The First Emperor of China (259-210 BCE) is recognized as one of the pivotal figures in world history, alongside other great conquerors and political innovators such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar. His accomplishments are undeniable, including the conquest of the six other warring states of China, his creation of the imperial bureaucratic system that endured for 2,000 years, and his unification of Chinese culture through the promotion of a single coinage, unified weights and measures, and one writing system. Since his dynasty was cut off a few short years after his death, concrete information on the critical period in Chinese history he occupied has been lacking until recent decades. Only a single, biased historical account, written a century after his death, narrates his biography. In the last forty years, however, archaeologists have revealed not only the lavish burial pits associated with his tomb, but also thousands of legal and administrative documents dating to the Qin period that demonstrate how his dynasty actually functioned. Debates surrounding the historical evaluation of the First Emperor have raged since shortly after his demise. For thousands of years, the character of the First Emperor has become an ideological slate upon which politicians, revolutionaries, poets, painters, archaeologists, and movie directors have written their own biases, fears, and fantasies. He has remained a critical touchstone for Chinese politics and culture, criticized by those supporting Confucian values, lionized by those supporting revolution and nationalism, and romanticized by those fascinated with his terracotta warriors. This volume unravels the discourse concerning this remarkable man of the past as a means to better understand ourselves in the present and provides a cultural history of the First Emperor of China from multiple perspectives. This is not another biography of the First Emperor, nor a detailed history of the Qin dynasty. Rather, it looks historically at interpretations of the First Emperor in historiography, legends, literature, archaeology, and popular culture as a way to understand the interpreters as much as the subject of their interpretations. It will appeal to both academic and general readers interested in Chinese history, politics, and culture, both ancient and modern"--