All language subtitles for Chinas.Dragon.Emperor.S01E01.Creating.a.Nation-en

Narrator: IT’S A STORY
OVER 2,000 YEARS OLD,

ABOUT THE BIRTH OF CHINA’S
FIRST IMPERIAL DYNASTY.

IT WAS A TIME OF CONFLICT...

A TIME OF BETRAYAL...

AND THE LUST FOR POWER.

Man: IT HAS ALL THE MAKINGS
OF A GREAT NOVEL, REALLY.

IT’S GOT INTRIGUE.
IT’S GOT VIOLENCE, SEX, MYSTERY.

Narrator: AT ITS CENTER
IS QIN SHI HUANG,

THE EMPEROR WHO CREATED
A SUPERPOWER

OUT OF WARRING FACTIONS--

A CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE
HISTORIANS VIEWED WITH SCORN.

Man: THEY PORTRAY HIM
AS IRRATIONAL,

DEEPLY SUPERSTITIOUS,
INCOMPETENT, A TYRANT.

Narrator: BUT IS THIS DEPICTION
OF QIN SHI HUANG

FACT OR FICTION?

Woman: WHAT WE KNOW
COMES FROM THE ACCOUNT

BY SIMA QIAN,
WHO IS ACTUALLY WRITING

DURING THE HISTORICAL PERIOD
FOLLOWING THE QIN DYNASTY.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Man, translated:
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS OUTWEIGH

ANY OF HIS FAILURES.

Narrator:
WAS HE AN INCOMPETENT RULER,

A BRUTAL TYRANT,

OR A GREAT LEADER?

NOW IT’S TIME TO TAKE ANOTHER
LOOK AT CHINA’S FIRST EMPEROR.

♪

♪

246 B.C.

IN FAR EAST ASIA, WAR HAD BEEN
RAGING FOR NEARLY TWO CENTURIES.

THE COLLAPSE OF
A 500-YEAR-OLD DYNASTY

HAD UNLEASHED
A RUTHLESS POWER STRUGGLE

BETWEEN SEVEN RIVAL STATES,

EACH ONE VYING FOR DOMINANCE,
EACH BENT ON CONQUEST.

WHAT ONCE WAS THE ZHOU EMPIRE
HAD FRACTURED INTO PIECES.

THE BATTLEFIELD WAS WHERE
DISPUTES WERE RESOLVED.

[SHOUTING]

PLAYING OUT THE AMBITIONS
OF THEIR LEADERS,

THOUSANDS OF WARRIORS ENGAGED
IN A RITUAL OF COMBAT,

WIELDING SWORDS
AND FACING THEIR DESTINY.

[SHOUTING, WEAPONS CLASHING]

♪

IT REMAINED TO BE SEEN
WHICH OF THE WARRING STATES

WOULD EMERGE VICTORIOUS

AND BECOME THE NEW POWER
IN THE REGION.

♪

DURING THE CHAOS, IN XIANYANG,

THE CAPITAL OF QIN STATE

ON THE WESTERN BORDER
OF THE CRUMBLING DYNASTY,

A NEW KING WAS CROWNED.

HIS ASCENSION TO THE THRONE
WAS UNEXPECTED,

AND TO SOME WITHIN THE KINGDOM,
REPRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY.

THIS NEW KING WAS 13 YEARS OLD,

ILL-EQUIPPED FOR
THE RESPONSIBILITIES

OF BEING A MONARCH.

HE INHERITED A PALACE RIFE
WITH INTRIGUE, DECEPTION,

AND DUPLICITY.

FEW BELIEVED HE COULD GUARANTEE
HIS OWN SAFETY--

LET ALONE CONTROL
THE FATE OF HIS KINGDOM.

BUT THIS SEEMINGLY
UNREMARKABLE HEIR

WOULD DO WHAT NO RULER
HAD DONE BEFORE--

MAKE ONE NATION FROM
THE REMNANTS OF A BROKEN EMPIRE.

HIS NAME WAS YING ZHENG, LATER
TO BE CALLED QIN SHI HUANG.

BUT THERE’S LITTLE
WE KNOW OF HIM.

Andrew Schonebaum: THE PRIMARY
SOURCE FOR QIN SHI HUANG’S LIFE

IS THIS HAN DYNASTY TEXT CALLED
RECORDS OF THE GRAND HISTORIAN,

WRITTEN BY SIMA QIAN.

Narrator: WRITTEN,
AS IT TURNS OUT,

MORE THAN A CENTURY
AFTER QIN SHI HUANG DIED.

Schonebaum: AND IT REALLY IS
A MAGNIFICENT TEXT.

IT’S, IT’S VERY COMPELLING, IT’S
FULL OF DETAIL AND DIALOGUE,

AND IT HAS ALL THE MAKINGS
OF, OF A GREAT NOVEL, REALLY.

Narrator:
BUT IS THAT TEXT ACCURATE?

ACCORDING TO SIMA QIAN,
LIVING WITH THE YOUNG RULER

WAS ZHENG’S WIDOWED MOTHER,
QUEEN DOWAGER ZHAO.

♪

SHE WAS THE ONLY PERSON
THE YOUNG BOY KING COULD TRUST,

OR SO IT SEEMED.

WHAT HE DIDN’T KNOW WAS BENEATH
HIS MOTHER’S SERENE GAZE

THERE LURKED A DARK MOTIVE.

SHE INSTALLED A PALACE MINISTER
TO ACT AS HIS ADVISOR,

AN INFLUENTIAL ALLY WHO WOULD
ALLOW THE QUEEN ACCESS

TO HER SON’S ROYAL POWER.

HIS NAME WAS LU BUWEI, THE MAN
WHO HAD INTRODUCED THE QUEEN,

WHEN SHE WAS A LOWLY CONCUBINE,
TO THE PREVIOUS KING.

Michelle Wang: SO WHEN THE YOUNG
KING FIRST ASCENDED THE THRONE,

HE WAS JUST A TEENAGER.

AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
COMMON PRACTICE AT THAT TIME

TO HAVE APPOINTED A REGENT

FOR RULERS WHO HAD
NOT YET COME OF AGE.

Narrator: AS REGENT
AND ADVISOR TO YING ZHENG,

LU BUWEI WAS THE MOST
INFLUENTIAL MAN IN THE PALACE--

THE POWER BEHIND THE THRONE,

WHO WOULD RULE THE KINGDOM
FROM THE SHADOWS.

BUT HE HAD A SECRET
OF HIS OWN TO HIDE.

HE WAS QUEEN ZHAO’S LOVER

AND THE LIKELY FATHER
OF THE YOUNG KING.

Duan Qingbo, translated:
LU BUWEI WAS CONCERNED

THE YOUNG KING WOULD FIND OUT
ABOUT HIS AFFAIR WITH THE QUEEN,

WHICH HE FEARED WOULD COST HIM
HIS POSITION IN THE COURT.

Narrator: TO CONCEAL
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE QUEEN,

LU BUWEI LOOKED FOR A MAN
WHO COULD REPLACE HIM

IN THE QUEEN’S BEDROOM,

A MAN HE COULD TRUST
AND HIS QUEEN WOULD ACCEPT.

Schonebaum: LU BUWEI FOUND
A WELL-ENDOWED MAN

AND PARADED HIM ABOUT

SO THAT YING ZHENG’S MOTHER’S
LASCIVIOUSNESS WOULD BE AROUSED.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Narrator: LU BUWEI’S SCHEME
WORKED...AT FIRST.

LAO AI DISGUISED HIMSELF
AS A EUNUCH

SO HE COULD ENTER THE QUEEN’S
CHAMBER WITHOUT SUSPICION

AND ULTIMATELY
CAPTURE HER HEART.

♪

THE QUEEN WAS A WILLING
ACCOMPLICE IN LU BUWEI’S PLAN.

AWAY FROM PRYING EYES,

SHE AND LAO AI BEGAN
A TORRID AFFAIR

THAT FUELED A PLOT TO OVERTHROW
HER SON, THE KING.

BETRAYALS COMING FROM
WITHIN THE PALACE

WERE PERILS YOUNG ZHENG
HAD TO ANTICIPATE.

HE MAY HAVE POSSESSED A KING’S
POWER, BUT BEING A TEENAGER,

HE WAS TOO INEXPERIENCED
TO USE IT EFFECTIVELY.

AS A RESULT, HE HAD TO RELY
ON LU BUWEI’S ADVICE,

WHICH MAY NOT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
IN HIS BEST INTERESTS.

DESPITE THE CONSTANT STATE
OF WAR IN THE REGION,

YING ZHENG HAD
INHERITED A KINGDOM

THAT WAS STEADILY GROWING.

Schonebaum: THERE WERE
TALENTED GENERALS.

THERE WERE WISE MINISTERS
ALREADY IN PLACE.

AND LU BUWEI WAS AMONG THEM.

SO WHILE YING ZHENG
WAS A TEENAGER,

THE QIN STATE CONTINUED TO GROW
AND CONSOLIDATE LAND

AND BECOME
MORE AND MORE POWERFUL.

[SHOUTING]

Narrator: BUT THE END
TO CENTURIES OF WAR

WAS STILL OFF IN THE FUTURE.

RIVAL STATES WERE CONSUMED IN
BATTLING EACH OTHER FOR SURVIVAL

AND FOR SUPREMACY.

♪

IT WOULD TAKE A BOLD LEADER,
WITH FEARLESS VISION,

TO RISE ABOVE THE FRAY AND
SEIZE VICTORY FROM HIS ENEMIES.

♪

EIGHT YEARS LATER, 238 B.C.

THE AFFAIR BETWEEN THE QUEEN
AND HER LOVER HAD FLOURISHED.

LAO AI NO LONGER PRETENDED
TO BE A SERVILE EUNUCH.

WITH THE QUEEN’S SUPPORT,
HE WAS NOW A POWERFUL MAN,

AND THE PAIR SECRETLY
HAD TWO SONS TOGETHER.

BUT LAO AI WANTED MORE
THAN LAVISH PALACE COMFORTS.

HE HAD HIS SIGHTS SET
ON A BIGGER PRIZE.

Duan: LAO AI HAD
3,000 MEN UNDER HIM

AND WAS RECRUITING MORE
ALL THE TIME.

HE WANTED TO SEIZE
YING ZHENG’S THRONE FOR HIMSELF.

Narrator:
BUT LAO AI UNDERESTIMATED

THE NOW 22-YEAR-OLD KING.

YING ZHENG GOT WORD
OF THE PLANNED COUP.

Ying Zheng: LAO AI?

Narrator: LU BUWEI’S MATCHMAKING
WAS ABOUT TO BACKFIRE,

LEAVING HIM EXPOSED TO THE WRATH
OF AN OUTRAGED KING.

WHEN HIS PLOT
TO OVERTHROW KING YING ZHENG

WAS DISCOVERED,

LAO AI DECIDED TO MAKE HIS MOVE.

WITHOUT THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE,

HE AND HIS FOLLOWERS
RODE TOWARD THE PALACE,

INTENT ON MAKING
A PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE.

♪

BUT THE KING WAS NO LONGER
A NAIVE TEENAGER.

HE HAD LEARNED FROM HIS PALACE
MINISTERS AND MILITARY ADVISORS

AND HAD CAREFULLY
PLANNED A RESPONSE.

THE KING SAW HIS CHANCE
TO ELIMINATE BOTH LAO AI,

WHO WAS AFTER HIS THRONE,

AND LU BUWEI, HIS SCHEMING,
TOO-POWERFUL REGENT.

YING ZHENG ANTICIPATED
THAT LAO AI WOULD TRY

TO STORM THE PALACE
BY ENTERING THE FRONT GATE.

[CREAKING]

HE SET A TRAP, AND LAO AI
AND THE REBELS FELL INTO IT.

[ARROWS WHIZZING]

LAO AI COULD ONLY WONDER
WHO HAD ORCHESTRATED THE ATTACK.

THEN HE SPOTTED LU BUWEI,

THE MAN RESPONSIBLE
FOR HIS RISE IN THE PALACE.

[YELLS]

THE CO-CONSPIRATORS
WERE NOW MORTAL ENEMIES.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Duan: LU BUWEI
NEVER THOUGHT THAT LAO AI

WOULD POSE A THREAT
TO HIS POWER IN THE COURT,

BUT NOW HE SAW
THAT IF HE DIDN’T HELP STOP

LAO AI’S PLAN
TO OVERTHROW YING ZHENG,

HE COULD LOSE EVERYTHING,

SO THAT’S WHY LU BUWEI SIDED
WITH THE KING AGAINST LAO AI.

IT WAS ALL ABOUT PRESERVING
HIS POSITION IN THE KINGDOM.

Narrator:
TO FAIL IN A PALACE COUP

IS TO INVITE
THE MOST SEVERE PUNISHMENT.

[HORSES NEIGHING]

LAO AI, THE QUEEN’S LOVER,
PAID A TERRIBLE PRICE FOR DARING

TO PLOT AGAINST THE KING.

[HORSES NEIGHING]

[ROPE STRETCHING]

LAO AI AND 3,000 OF HIS MEN
WERE EXECUTED OR EXILED

BY YING ZHENG.

BUT YING ZHENG
DIDN’T STOP THERE.

HE HAD THE SONS OF LAO AI
AND HIS MOTHER KILLED

TO KEEP THEM FROM ONE DAY
SEEKING REVENGE AGAINST HIM.

IN A GESTURE OF MERCY,
YING ZHENG SPARED HIS MOTHER,

BUT PLACED HER
UNDER HOUSE ARREST.

NOW HE HAD ONE LAST CONSPIRATOR
TO DEAL WITH.

LU BUWEI--HIS ADVISOR
AND THE MASTERMIND OF THE MATCH

BETWEEN LAO AI AND THE QUEEN--

WOULD HAVE TO PAY
FOR HIS BETRAYAL.

Duan: YING ZHENG DEALT
WITH LU BUWEI AT ONCE.

HE SENTENCED HIM TO EXILE
IN SICHUAN PROVINCE,

WHERE LU BUWEI
LATER COMMITTED SUICIDE

BY DRINKING A CUP
OF POISONED WINE.

SO HERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME
SINCE TAKING THE THRONE,

YING ZHENG SHOWED HIS
WILLINGNESS TO ACT FOR HIMSELF.

Narrator: IT WAS A TURNING POINT

IN THE GROWTH
OF THE YOUNG RULER.

Schonebaum:
THE MOMENT WHEN YING ZHENG

BECOMES THE KING OF QIN
AND THIS POWERFUL MAN

IS THE MOMENT
AT WHICH LU BUWEI DECIDES

TO DRINK POISON
AND KILL HIMSELF,

REALIZING THAT HE HAD ANGERED

WHAT HAD NOW BECOME
THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL MAN.

Narrator: YING ZHENG WENT ON
TO UNVEIL AN AMBITIOUS PLAN

TO UNIFY THE SEVEN
WARRING STATES INTO ONE.

HE BEGAN TO APPOINT MEN
OF ABILITY, GUEST OFFICERS,

REGARDLESS OF THEIR
BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN.

ONE OF THE FIRST WAS LI SI.

ORIGINALLY FROM THE CHU STATE,
LI SI HAD A SUPERB LEGAL MIND

AND WOULD LATER DRAW UP
THE RULING IDEOLOGY

OF THE QIN EMPIRE.

Jeffrey Riegel: HERE WE HAVE
AN EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST EMPEROR

ALLOWING SOMEONE WHO CAME
FROM AN ENEMY STATE,

TO SERVE HIM
IN A CLOSE POSITION,

BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED THAT LI SI
WAS SOMEONE WHO COULD BE OF USE.

Narrator: YING ZHENG PROMOTED
ANOTHER TALENTED FOREIGNER,

ZHENG GUO, A HYDRAULIC ENGINEER
FROM THE NEARBY HAN STATE.

Riegel: IN THIS CASE,
WHAT THE FIRST EMPEROR WISHED

TO HAVE ZHENG GUO BUILD FOR HIM

WAS A CANAL THAT COULD BE USED
TO TRANSFORM THE AREA--

THE PLAIN AROUND THE CAPITAL
OF QIN--INTO A FERTILE AREA.

Narrator: HOWEVER,
THE CANAL PROJECT HIT A SNAG

FROM THE VERY START.

YING ZHENG LEARNED THAT
ZHENG GUO, WHOM HE TRUSTED,

WAS ACTUALLY A SPY
FROM THE HAN STATE

SENT TO DIVERT QIN’S RESOURCES
TO WASTEFUL PROJECTS.

THE KING’S MOST POWERFUL
ADVISORS URGED HIM

TO EXPEL ALL FOREIGN OFFICERS
FROM THE STATE.

BUT THEN LI SI,
FROM THE CHU STATE, WEIGHED IN.

HE RISKED EXPULSION
BY WRITING A PETITION

ARGUING THAT FOREIGNERS,
LIKE HIMSELF,

WERE NEEDED IF YING ZHENG
WAS TO ACHIEVE HIS DREAM

OF UNIFYING THE STATES.

Narrator: LI SI’S PETITION
WAS PERSUASIVE.

INSTEAD OF EXPELLING ZHENG GUO,

THE KING ORDERED HIM TO CONTINUE
BUILDING THE CANAL.

[SPEAKING JAPANESE]

Suruma Kazuyuki, translated:
MANY OF THE KING’S ADVISORS

URGED HIM
TO EXPEL ALL FOREIGNERS,

BUT YING ZHENG
REJECTED THE IDEA.

HE WAS CONVINCED THAT ACCEPTING
THEM IN HIS KINGDOM

AND USING THEIR TALENTS
WAS OF GREATER BENEFIT.

Narrator: YING ZHENG’S DECISION
TO WELCOME FOREIGNERS

WOULD ALTER THE COURSE
OF CHINESE HISTORY.

THE CANAL THAT
ZHENG GUO COMPLETED

MADE THE GUANZHONG PLAIN
INTO FERTILE LAND.

AND, AS AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION INCREASED,

THE QIN KINGDOM GREW RICHER
THAN OTHER STATES.

♪

WITH HIS TREASURY OVERFLOWING,
YING ZHENG WAS DETERMINED

TO MAKE HIS DREAM OF UNITING
THE WARRING STATES A REALITY.

[SHOUTING]

HE REPORTEDLY RECRUITED A
MILLION MEN TO BECOME SOLDIERS,

SUPPLYING THEM
WITH THE LATEST WEAPONS

AND TRAINING THEM
IN THE ART OF WAR.

THE RESULT WAS A FORMIDABLE
FIGHTING MACHINE.

♪

IT WOULD TAKE TIME,

BUT YING ZHENG’S WARRIORS
WERE READY TO MOBILIZE.

[SHOUTING]

A MILLION MEN STOOD POISED
TO SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES,

TO FIGHT THEIR ENEMIES
ON THE BATTLEFIELD

AND BUILD YING ZHENG’S
MIGHTY EMPIRE.

IN 230 B.C.,
THE 29-YEAR-OLD KING OF QIN

EMBARKED ON AN EPIC
CAMPAIGN OF CONQUEST.

HE WANTED TO CREATE AN EMPIRE

OUT OF THE PIECES
OF THE CRUMBLING ZHOU DYNASTY,

AND NOW HE HAD
THE ARMY TO DO IT.

THE KING’S FORCES NUMBERED
OVER A MILLION MEN,

HAD A VAST ARSENAL OF WEAPONS,

AND KNEW ONLY ONE
BATTLE STRATEGY--TO ATTACK.

♪

THE FIRST TARGET
IN YING ZHENG’S PLAN

WAS THE NEIGHBORING STATE
OF HAN TO THE EAST.

IN THE PAST, THE STATES
OF THE ZHOU DYNASTY

CREATED A SERIES OF ALLIANCES
AND COALITIONS

TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST
THE THREAT OF A POWERFUL ENEMY.

IT WORKED FOR A WHILE.

BUT THINGS WERE
DIFFERENT THIS TIME.

DIPLOMACY PROVED USELESS
AGAINST THE QIN WAR MACHINE.

IN LITTLE TIME,
THE HAN STATE FELL.

♪

THEN, YING ZHENG SET HIS SIGHTS
ON ANOTHER NEIGHBOR, ZHAO STATE.

BLOOD FLOWED FREELY
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

Duan: THE QIN MILITARY WAS
SUCH A POWERFUL FIGHTING FORCE

THAT THE OTHER KINGDOMS
GREW DESPERATE

TO COME UP WITH STRATEGIES
TO COUNTERACT THEM.

ONE OF THEM
WAS THE KINGDOM OF YAN.

Narrator:
TWO YEARS INTO THE WAR,

DIPLOMATS FROM YAN
ARRIVED IN QIN.

THEIR DECLARED PURPOSE WAS TO
MAKE AMENDS WITH THE QIN STATE

AND NEGOTIATE A PEACE.

AS PROOF, THE YAN ENVOYS CAME
BEARING GIFTS FOR YING ZHENG.

THE ENVOY JING KE BROUGHT A BOX

CONTAINING THE SEVERED HEAD
OF A QIN GENERAL

WHO YEARS EARLIER
HAD FLED TO YAN

AFTER BETRAYING THE QIN STATE.

♪

JING KE ALSO BROUGHT
A MAP OF THE YAN LANDS

TO BE PRESENTED TO THE RULER

AS A GESTURE SIGNIFYING THE
PEACEFUL SURRENDER OF THE STATE.

BUT HIDDEN WITHIN THE MAP
WAS A SURPRISE.

♪

WHILE YING ZHENG AVOIDED
THE POISON DAGGER,

HE WAS ON HIS OWN
AGAINST THE ASSASSIN.

Schonebaum: THE KING’S MINISTERS
ARE NOT ABLE TO COME TO HIS AID

BECAUSE THERE’S A LAW THAT SAYS
THEY MUST ASK PERMISSION

TO MOVE ABOUT THE THRONE ROOM,

AND THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED
TO CARRY WEAPONS EITHER.

Narrator: YING ZHENG
ELUDED JING KE.

THEN, SWORD IN HAND,
HE KILLED HIM.

♪

DESPITE ESCAPING UNHARMED,

THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
INFURIATED THE KING.

ENRAGED, HE ORDERED HIS ARMY
TO RETALIATE

BY SPEEDING UP THE WAR
AGAINST HIS ADVERSARIES.

[SHOUTING]

Narrator: THE SLAUGHTER BEGAN.

THE NEIGHBORING STATES WERE
NO MATCH FOR QIN’S MASSIVE ARMY

OF SKILLFULLY TRAINED SOLDIERS.

10 YEARS PASSED.

ONE BY ONE, THE QIN ARMIES

CONQUERED
THE SIX NEIGHBORING STATES

THAT BATTLED
FOR THE PAST 200 YEARS.

YING ZHENG’S DREAM OF CREATING
AN EMPIRE BECAME A REALITY.

Riegel: PEOPLE HAD
THOUGHT ABOUT AN EMPIRE

THAT OCCUPIED IN EFFECT
THE WHOLE WORLD,

BUT IT WAS YING ZHENG
WHO ACTUALLY CREATED IT.

AND BY DOING SO,
HE CREATED AN IDEAL

THAT WOULD REMAIN IMPORTANT

FOR THE REMAINDER
OF CHINESE HISTORY

UP UNTIL THE PRESENT DAY.

Narrator: 221 B.C.

A MASSIVE CROWD GATHERED
FOR A CORONATION CEREMONY

IN THE CAPITAL OF QIN,
WHERE, AT 38 YEARS OLD,

YING ZHENG NAMED HIMSELF
QIN SHI HUANG,

THE FIRST EMPEROR
OF A VAST NEW TERRITORY,

A TERRITORY
WE NOW KNOW AS CHINA.

THE TITLE OF EMPEROR MEANT

THAT THERE WAS NOW ONE
AND ONLY ONE SOVEREIGN--

A DECLARATION THAT THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY WAS UNDER HIS RULE.

THIS WAS THE BIRTH OF CHINA--

A LAND OF WARRING STATES
THAT WAS NOW ONE NATION.

[CHANTING]

IT WAS THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA.

Wang: YING ZHENG’S ASSUMPTION
OF THE TITLE,

THE AUGUST FIRST EMPEROR OF QIN,
OR QIN SHI HUANG,

IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE
IT SUGGESTS TO US

THAT HE NO LONGER SAW HIMSELF
MERELY AS A TERRESTRIAL KING,

BUT RATHER HE SAW HIS ROLE
AS BEING ELEVATED

TO THAT OF THE RULER
OF AN EMPIRE,

AND A ROLE THAT COULD BE VIEWED
PERHAPS ON COSMIC PROPORTIONS.

Narrator: BUT AS EMPEROR,

QIN SHI HUANG STILL FACED
MANY CHALLENGES.

AMONG THEM WAS THE NEED
TO BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE

FROM DIFFERENT STATES AND
CULTURES UNDER A SINGLE SYSTEM

TO CONSOLIDATE HIS REALM.

Schonebaum: IT’S PRETTY CLEAR
THAT HE RECOGNIZED

THAT WHAT HE WAS DOING
HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HIM THAT
PEOPLE NOT THINK OF THEMSELVES

AS LOYAL TO FORMER KINGDOMS BUT
RATHER LOYAL TO THE QIN EMPIRE.

Narrator: UNIFICATION BEGAN

WITH A CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM
OF GOVERNMENT.

QIN SHI HUANG ABOLISHED
FEUDALISM,

DIVIDING THE EMPIRE INTO
36 PREFECTURES, OR PROVINCES,

WHICH WERE PLACED
UNDER HIS DIRECT CONTROL.

THIS CENTRALIZATION OF POWER
WAS UNPRECEDENTED.

OFFICIALS WERE APPOINTED
TO POSITIONS

ON THE BASIS
OF MERIT AND ABILITY,

RATHER THAN ON HEREDITARY RIGHTS
OR FAMILY TIES.

THIS SYSTEM, KNOWN AS LEGALISM,

REPRESENTED A BREAK
FROM PREVIOUS TRADITIONS.

Schonebaum: THE EARLY LEGALISTS
VIEWED HUMANS

AS ESSENTIALLY SELFISH,

BUT NOT NECESSARILY
IN A BAD WAY.

THEY THOUGHT THAT THE STATE
COULD HARNESS THIS SELFISHNESS

AND ALLOW THEIR SUBJECTS

TO PURSUE THEIR DESIRES
AND PASSIONS

IN THE SERVICE OF THE STATE.

Narrator: QIN SHI HUANG HAD
TO OVERCOME FIERCE OPPOSITION

FROM POWERFUL MINISTERS
FOR HIS REFORMATIONS TO SUCCEED.

TO DO SO, HE RELIED ON LI SI,
WHO SERVED AS HIS PRIME MINISTER

AND WROTE MANY
OF QIN’S NEW LAWS.

Riegel: QIN DIDN’T EMPHASIZE
RITUAL AND TRADITION.

BUT INSTEAD, THEY EMPHASIZED LAW
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF LAW CODES,

OF SOMETHING
THAT DIDN’T VARY OR CHANGE

ACCORDING TO FAMILY
OR ACCORDING TO LOCAL PLACE.

THIS IS SOMETHING
INTRODUCED BY THE QIN.

Narrator: IN 1975,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS GOT A FIRSTHAND
LOOK AT QIN’S LEGAL SYSTEM

WHEN OVER 1,000 BAMBOO SLIPS
WERE FOUND IN A SMALL VILLAGE

IN HUNAN PROVINCE.

ANALYSIS REVEALED
THAT THE LAWS WERE WRITTEN

DURING QIN SHI HUANG’S REIGN.

THE BAMBOO SLIPS DEMONSTRATE
HOW EXTENSIVE AND STRICT

THE LAWS WERE AT THE TIME.

THEY REGULATED
PEOPLE’S LIVES CLOSELY,

AND HARSH PUNISHMENTS WERE
METED OUT TO VIOLATORS.

THERE WERE ALSO OTHER CHANGES
IN STORE FOR THE EMPIRE.

LI SI STANDARDIZED WEIGHTS
AND MEASUREMENTS.

UNITS OF VOLUME, LENGTH,
AND WEIGHT WERE MADE UNIFORM

TO SIMPLIFY TRADE
AND TAX COLLECTION.

QIN SHI HUANG CONTINUED
HIS STANDARDIZATION POLICY

THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE.

♪

THIS IS THE BAN LIANG COIN
OF THE QIN.

AT THE TIME, DIFFERENT REGIONS
OF THE COUNTRY

USED DIFFERENT TYPES
OF CURRENCY.

QIN SHI HUANG UNIFIED THE
CURRENCY WITH BAN LIANG COINS,

MAKING BUYING AND SELLING
EASIER THROUGHOUT CHINA.

BUT THAT WASN’T THE LAST
OF THE EMPEROR’S CHANGES.

AMONG THE REFORMS
THAT QIN SHI HUANG INTRODUCED

TO UNIFY CHINA, ONE STOOD
AS THE MOST CHALLENGING.

Narrator: EACH STATE
IN THE NEWLY CREATED EMPIRE

HAD ITS OWN FORM OF WRITING,

WHICH MADE COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THEM DIFFICULT.

THIS WAS THE BIGGEST
STUMBLING BLOCK

TO ENFORCING QIN’S
NEW LAWS AND POLICIES.

♪

IT WAS IMPORTANT TO UNIFY
THE WRITING SYSTEM

AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

THE EMPEROR SENT SCHOLARS
TO EACH PROVINCE

TO TEACH THE QIN SCRIPT.

SINCE WRITING SYSTEMS EXPRESS
THOUGHT AND CULTURE,

QIN SHI HUANG KNEW THAT
WITHOUT A UNIFIED SCRIPT,

HIS EMPIRE COULD
DISSOLVE INTO CHAOS.

IMPOSING A UNIVERSAL
WRITTEN LANGUAGE

MADE FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION
AND ACCEPTANCE OF POLICIES.

THESE CHARACTERS MEAN "HORSE"

IN THE VARYING SCRIPTS
OF EACH STATE.

QIN SHI HUANG UNIFIED THEM
WITH THE QIN SCRIPT.

Wang: THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF INTRODUCING

A STANDARDIZED SYSTEM OF WRITING
CANNOT BE OVERSTATED

BECAUSE IT FACILITATED GREATLY
THE NEW SYSTEM BUREAUCRACY

THAT WAS INTRODUCED
UNDER QIN SHI HUANG.

Narrator: MANY OF THE
STANDARDIZED CHINESE CHARACTERS

ESTABLISHED
DURING THE QIN DYNASTY

HAVE SURVIVED
TO THE PRESENT DAY.

QIN SHI HUANG HAD ACHIEVED
WHAT MANY HAD DREAMED,

BUT NO ONE HAD DONE BEFORE--

UNITING THE WARRING STATES
INTO A SINGLE NATION.

HE CREATED A NEW SOCIETY BASED
NOT ON CUSTOM AND TRADITION,

BUT ON A POWERFUL CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT AND THE RULE OF LAW.

YET DESPITE THIS ACHIEVEMENT,
QIN SHI HUANG HAS BEEN PORTRAYED

THROUGHOUT
2,000 YEARS OF HISTORY

AS A CRUEL AND BRUTAL TYRANT.

♪

SOME ANCIENT RECORDS CLAIM

THE EMPEROR ORDERED
THE BURNING OF BOOKS

THAT HE BELIEVED CRITICIZED HIS
RULE OR UNDERMINED HIS POWER.

HE WAS ALSO SAID TO HAVE DECREED

THAT DISSIDENT SCHOLARS
BE BURIED ALIVE.

THE REASONS FOR BOOK BURNING--

ESSENTIALLY SUPPRESSING
FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH--

WERE POLITICAL.

THE EMPEROR WAS CONCERNED
ABOUT THE SPREAD OF IDEAS

OPPOSING
HIS REFORMATION POLICIES

AND CHALLENGING
THE LEGITIMACY OF HIS RULE.

YET HISTORIANS TODAY QUESTION

WHETHER WHOLESALE BOOK BURNINGS
ACTUALLY OCCURRED.

Riegel: WE DOUBT VERY MUCH

THAT IF THE BURNING OF THE BOOKS
EVER HAPPENED,

THAT IT REALLY REPRESENTED
A BURNING OF ALL OF LITERATURE.

I THINK WE SHOULD,
IF IT HAPPENED,

WE SHOULD TAKE IT AS AN EXAMPLE

OF A GOVERNMENT WANTING
TO CONTROL INFORMATION,

WANTING TO DEFINE
WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG,

TO CREATE A KIND OF ORTHODOXY.

AND I THINK THERE’S NOTHING
ESPECIALLY UNIQUE IN THAT.

EVERY COUNTRY, EVERY
CIVILIZATION WANTS TO BE ABLE

TO TELL ITS STORY THE WAY
THEY WANT TO TELL IT.

Narrator: ACCORDING
TO THE HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS,

THE QIN DYNASTY DID NOT
DESTROY ALL BOOKS.

SOME COPIES OF FORBIDDEN TEXTS
WERE PRESERVED

IN THE EMPEROR’S
IMPERIAL ARCHIVES.

WRITINGS ON MEDICINE, FARMING,
TECHNOLOGY, AND ASTRONOMY

WERE KNOWN TO BE KEPT
IN THE PALACE.

IT’S EVIDENCE THAT QIN SHI HUANG
DID VALUE PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE.

BUT MORE DISTURBING
THAN BOOK BURNINGS

ARE ACCOUNTS
OF THE EMPEROR’S BRUTALITY,

DESIGNED TO ENFORCE OBEDIENCE
THROUGH INTIMIDATION.

ACCORDING TO THE RECORDS
OF HISTORIANS

WRITING AFTER THE FALL
OF THE QIN DYNASTY,

QIN SHI HUANG ORDERED
THAT 460 CONFUCIAN SCHOLARS,

WHO OWNED COPIES OF FORBIDDEN
BOOKS, WERE TO BE BURIED ALIVE.

BUT THESE ACCOUNTS WERE WRITTEN

OVER A CENTURY AFTER THE BURIALS
WERE TO HAVE OCCURRED,

WHICH LEADS HISTORIANS
TO DOUBT THEIR VALIDITY.

Wang: AND SINCE
IN CHINESE HISTORY

THERE WAS A LONGSTANDING
PRACTICE OF DYNASTIC HISTORIES

BEING WRITTEN
BY THE SUCCESSOR DYNASTIES,

THE VIEW THAT IS PRESENTED
OF QIN SHI HUANG BY SIMA QIAN,

WHO IS ACTUALLY WRITING
DURING THE HISTORICAL PERIOD

FOLLOWING THE QIN DYNASTY,

PRESENTS A RULER
WHO WAS A TYRANT.

Riegel: WHENEVER PEOPLE TALKED
ABOUT BAD RULERS,

BAD KINGS IN THE PAST,

ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WOULD SAY
ABOUT A BAD RULER OR A BAD KING

WAS THAT THIS WAS A PERSON
WHO HAD NO RESPECT FOR SCHOLARS

AND BURIED THEM
OR, OR BURNED DOCUMENTS,

AND SO, IN EFFECT,

WHAT, WHAT WE’RE TOLD
ABOUT THE FIRST EMPEROR

IS JUST PART OF A TRADITION

OF CRITICIZING RULERS
THAT YOU DON’T LIKE.

AND SO, IN MY VIEW,

I DON’T THINK WE CAN GIVE
VERY MUCH HISTORICAL WEIGHT

TO THOSE CLAIMS
MADE AGAINST THE FIRST EMPEROR.

Narrator: RATHER THAN
BEING A CRUEL TYRANT,

IT’S LIKELY THAT QIN SHI HUANG
WAS A TARGET

OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDA

CREATED BY THE HAN DYNASTY
THAT SUCCEEDED HIS.

ITS PURPOSE WAS TO DISCREDIT THE
QIN DYNASTY, AND BY DOING SO,

JUSTIFY AND ELEVATE
ITS OWN EXISTENCE.

Schonebaum: ALL OF OUR SOURCES
FOR QIN DYNASTY HISTORY

COME FROM THE SUBSEQUENT
DYNASTY, THE HAN DYNASTY.

AND SO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO SORT OF
TAKE THEM WITH A GRAIN OF SALT,

CONSIDERING THAT THEY
CONSISTENTLY PORTRAY

QIN DYNASTY MINISTERS
AND QIN SHI HUANG HIMSELF

AS SOMEWHAT TYRANNICAL,
SOMEWHAT OPPORTUNISTIC,

AND ULTIMATELY A FAILURE.

Narrator: MANY OF TODAY’S
SCHOLARS SEE QIN SHI HUANG

IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT.

Kazuyuki: QIN SHI HUANG
IS OFTEN PORTRAYED

AS AN EVIL TYRANT,

BUT ACTUALLY, HE WAS A KING

WHO WAS MORE FAIR-MINDED
THAN HE’S GIVEN CREDIT FOR.

HE DIDN’T TOLERATE CORRUPTION
FROM BUREAUCRATS,

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME
AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PEOPLE.

[SPEAKING JAPANESE]

I THINK WE SHOULD REEVALUATE
HOW WE VIEW QIN SHI HUANG.

[SPEAKING JAPANESE]

Narrator: BY VIRTUE OF HIS
MILITARY AND POLITICAL PROWESS,

QIN SHI HUANG ENDED
CENTURIES OF CONFLICT

AND BROUGHT PEACE TO
THE CONSTANTLY WARRING STATES.

DURING HIS 12-YEAR REIGN, HE
JOURNEYED THROUGHOUT HIS REALM

IN THE COMPANY OF HIS ARMY TO
INSPECT THE NATION HE HAD BUILT.

BUT HE ALSO HAD
A PERSONAL REASON

FOR UNDERTAKING THESE TOURS.

Riegel: HE WANTED TO LIVE
AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

HE WANTED TO PROLONG
HIS LIFETIME.

AND SO, ONE OF THE REASONS

FOR MAKING THESE, UH,
EXPEDITIONS AROUND HIS EMPIRE

WAS TO LOOK FOR THE SECRETS
OF IMMORTALITY

THAT WOULD ENABLE
THE FIRST EMPEROR

TO EXTEND HIS LIFETIME
AND EXTEND HIS REIGN

SO THAT HE COULD CONTINUE
TO RULE OVER HIS EMPIRE.

Narrator: AS HE TRAVELED
THROUGH HIS EMPIRE,

QIN SHI HUANG HAD
STONE MONUMENTS, CALLED STELE,

ERECTED TO COMMEMORATE
HIS TOURS.

ENGRAVED ON THEM
ARE HIS DECREES,

ACHIEVEMENTS, AND EXPLOITS--

THE ONLY WRITTEN RECORDS
FROM THE TIME.

BUT EVEN AFTER FORMING
A MIGHTY SUPERPOWER,

QIN SHI HUANG’S REALM WAS NOT
FREE FROM OUTSIDE THREATS.

AND IT LED HIM TO UNDERTAKE
ONE OF THE ANCIENT WORLD’S

MOST EXTENSIVE CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS TO DEFEND HIS NATION.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA--
ERECTED AS A DEFENSIVE PERIMETER

AGAINST ENEMIES ATTACKING
FROM THE NORTH--

HAS BECOME QIN SHI HUANG’S
MOST VISIBLE LEGACY.

TODAY, IT DRAWS SOME
10 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR.

PORTIONS OF THE WALL
HAD ALREADY EXISTED,

BUILT BY RULERS OF THE STATES
QIN SHI HUANG HAD CONQUERED.

THE EMPEROR’S PLAN WAS
TO CONNECT THOSE WALLS

WITH NEWLY BUILT BARRICADES--

A PROJECT INVOLVING AS MANY
AS A MILLION OF HIS SUBJECTS

WORKING OVER MANY YEARS.

Schonebaum: AND SO HE SET ABOUT
CONSOLIDATING

THESE PRE-EXISTING WALLS
OF OTHER KINGDOMS.

THEY WEREN’T THE BRICK AND STONE
WALL WE KNOW NOW.

THAT WAS PRIMARILY A PROJECT
OF THE MING DYNASTY.

THE QIN DYNASTY WALL
WAS TAMPED EARTH,

ESSENTIALLY SETTING UP
WOODEN FRAMEWORKS

AND TAMPING EARTH BETWEEN THEM,

AND THEN RAISING THE FRAME
TO THE DESIRED HEIGHT.

Narrator: ONCE COMPLETED,

THE GREAT WALL FORMED
A VAST STRUCTURE

RUNNING OVER 5,000 MILES--

A MONUMENT
TO QIN SHI HUANG’S VISION

OF A GREAT CHINESE EMPIRE.

HIS FINAL
GREAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

WAS CREATING
A NATIONAL NETWORK OF ROADS.

2,000 YEARS LATER,
THESE MAGNIFICENT ROADS

TESTIFY TO THE SPLENDOR
OF THE QIN DYNASTY.

THE EMPEROR PROBABLY TRAVELED
ALONG THIS ROADWAY

ON HIS INSPECTION TOURS.

♪

THE EMPIRE
THAT QIN SHI HUANG CREATED

WAS CENTERED AROUND
THE YELLOW RIVER

AND STRETCHED FROM
THE GREAT WALL IN THE NORTH

TO THE BORDERS OF VIETNAM
IN THE SOUTH.

HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ARE STAGGERING.

IN JUST OVER
TWO DECADES OF RULE,

QIN SHI HUANG LAID
THE FOUNDATION OF CHINA

THAT WOULD LAST
FOR THE NEXT 2,000 YEARS.

ONCE A VULNERABLE 13-YEAR-OLD
KING CONTROLLED BY OTHERS,

YING ZHENG SURVIVED TREACHERY
IN THE PALACE,

OUTWITTED HIS ENEMIES,
AND BECAME A POWERFUL LEADER.

[SHOUTING]

AFTER A DECADE-LONG WAR,

HE UNIFIED CHINA
AND BUILT AN EMPIRE.

DESPITE A REPUTATION
THAT PORTRAYED HIM AS A TYRANT,

QIN SHI HUANG
HAS EMERGED AS A RULER

WHO TRANSFORMED THE WORLD
HE WAS BORN INTO.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Xu Weimin, translated:
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS OUTWEIGH

ANY OF HIS FAILURES.

SOME SAY THAT HE WAS TOO HARSH

AND THAT HIS MASSIVE
BUILDING PROJECTS

MAY HAVE SPED UP
THE FALL OF THE QIN EMPIRE.

OTHERS ARE EVEN MORE DISMISSIVE,

SAYING HE BURNED BOOKS
AND KILLED SCHOLARS.

BUT IF WE LOOK
AT HIS ENTIRE REIGN,

WE CAN SEE
THAT HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE

TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA
AS A NATION.

IN MY VIEW,
HE CERTAINLY WASN’T THE TYRANT

THE HISTORICAL RECORDS
CLAIMED THAT HE WAS.

Narrator: 210 B.C.,

12 YEARS AFTER CHINA
WAS UNIFIED.

QIN SHI HUANG WAS
ON ANOTHER QUEST,

THIS TIME FOR IMMORTALITY.

NOW 50 YEARS OLD, THE EMPEROR
WAS EXHAUSTED FROM OVERWORK

AND WEAKENED
FROM INGESTING MERCURY PILLS,

WHICH HE BELIEVED
WOULD MAKE HIM IMMORTAL.

♪

ON A HOT SUMMER DAY,
DURING A TOUR OF EASTERN CHINA,

THE EMPEROR DIED...

NOT IN HIS ROYAL PALACE,
BUT IN HIS CARRIAGE.

THE EXACT CAUSE OF DEATH
WAS NEVER REVEALED,

THOUGH IT’S THOUGHT
MERCURY POISONING

LIKELY PLAYED A PART
IN HIS DEMISE.

THE EMPEROR’S BODY WAS RETURNED
TO THE QIN CAPITAL

AND THEN LAID TO REST
IN HIS MAUSOLEUM

UNDER THE MAN-MADE MOUNTAIN
IN NEARBY XIANYANG.

♪

THE FUNERAL PROCESSION
ENTERED A TOMB

THAT WAS THE STUFF OF WONDER.

A LAVISH, DIVINELY INSPIRED
REPLICA OF HIS EMPIRE

AWAITED HIM UNDERGROUND--

A WORLD HE BELIEVED

HE WOULD RULE IN THE AFTERLIFE
FOR ETERNITY.

RECORDS FROM
HISTORIAN SIMA QIAN CLAIM

THAT IT TOOK 700,000 WORKERS
38 YEARS TO BUILD THE MAUSOLEUM.

JOINING HIM IN THE AFTERLIFE
WERE MANY PRICELESS TREASURES,

INCLUDING RARE BIRDS
AND ANIMALS,

AS WELL AS HIS CHILDLESS WIVES,

ALL SEALED WITH QIN SHI HUANG
IN HIS BURIAL CHAMBER.

A RULER WHO DREAMED
OF IMMORTALITY,

HE ALSO HAD AN ARMY
OF TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

BURIED NEARBY TO PROTECT HIM
IN THE AFTERLIFE

AND ENHANCE HIS LEGACY.

Xu: QIN SHI HUANG
HAS HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE

OVER THE LAST 2,000 YEARS
OF CHINA’S HISTORY.

MANY OF THE SYSTEMS AND POLICIES

THAT HE ORIGINATED
DURING HIS REIGN

ARE STILL IN PLACE TODAY.

Duan: HE IS THE ONE FIGURE

WHO CANNOT BE LEFT OUT OF
ANY RECORD OF CHINESE HISTORY.

Narrator: JUST FOUR YEARS
AFTER QIN SHI HUANG DIED,

THE DYNASTY HE ESTABLISHED
COLLAPSED.

BUT THE NATION HE CREATED
LIVED ON AND STILL EXISTS TODAY.

CHINA IS A COUNTRY
OF 1.4 BILLION PEOPLE,

COMPRISING 55 DIFFERENT
ETHNIC GROUPS,

WHO SPEAK
120 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

HOME TO THIS RICH DIVERSITY
FOR THE PAST 2,000 YEARS,

IT’S REMAINED ONE NATION.

Riegel: WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND

THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF EMPIRE
THAT YING ZHENG CREATED

ARE MORE OR LESS THE BOUNDARIES
OF MODERN-DAY CHINA.

Narrator: CHINA NOW ENJOYS
THE GREATEST ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

IN ITS HISTORY.

SCHOLARS TELL US THE ESSENTIAL
PRINCIPLES AND BELIEFS

OF QIN SHI HUANG

ARE STILL WOVEN
INTO THE FABRIC OF THE NATION.

Schonebaum:
I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT

PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT
LEGACY OF QIN SHI HUANG

IS THE IDEA OF EMPIRE ITSELF.

♪