Original subtitles

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

ABOUT THE BIRTH OF CHINA’S \hFIRST IMPERIAL DYNASTY.

IT WAS A TIME OF CONFLICT...

A TIME OF BETRAYAL...

AND THE LUST FOR POWER.

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

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S GOT INTRIGUE. IT’S GOT VIOLENCE, SEX, MYSTERY.

Narrator: AT ITS CENTER \h\h\hIS QIN SHI HUANG,

THE EMPEROR WHO CREATED \h\h\h\h\h\hA SUPERPOWER

OUT OF WARRING FACTIONS--

\h\h\h\hA CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE HISTORIANS VIEWED WITH SCORN.

Man: THEY PORTRAY HIM \h\h\h\hAS IRRATIONAL,

DEEPLY SUPERSTITIOUS, INCOMPETENT, A TYRANT.

Narrator: BUT IS THIS DEPICTION OF QIN SHI HUANG

FACT OR FICTION?

\hWoman: WHAT WE KNOW COMES FROM THE ACCOUNT

\h\h\h\h\hBY SIMA QIAN, WHO IS ACTUALLY WRITING

DURING THE HISTORICAL PERIOD \hFOLLOWING THE QIN DYNASTY.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

\h\h\h\h\hMan, translated: HIS ACHIEVEMENTS OUTWEIGH

ANY OF HIS FAILURES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: 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.

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

\h\h\hTHE COLLAPSE OF A 500-YEAR-OLD DYNASTY

\h\h\h\h\h\hHAD UNLEASHED A RUTHLESS POWER STRUGGLE

BETWEEN SEVEN RIVAL STATES,

EACH ONE VYING FOR DOMINANCE, \h\h\h\hEACH BENT ON CONQUEST.

WHAT ONCE WAS THE ZHOU EMPIRE \h\hHAD FRACTURED INTO PIECES.

THE BATTLEFIELD WAS WHERE \hDISPUTES WERE RESOLVED.

[SHOUTING]

PLAYING OUT THE AMBITIONS \h\h\h\hOF THEIR LEADERS,

THOUSANDS OF WARRIORS ENGAGED \h\h\h\hIN A RITUAL OF COMBAT,

\h\h\h\h\hWIELDING SWORDS AND FACING THEIR DESTINY.

[SHOUTING, WEAPONS CLASHING]

♪

\h\h\hIT REMAINED TO BE SEEN WHICH OF THE WARRING STATES

WOULD EMERGE VICTORIOUS

AND BECOME THE NEW POWER \h\h\h\h\hIN THE REGION.

♪

DURING THE CHAOS, IN XIANYANG,

THE CAPITAL OF QIN STATE

\h\hON THE WESTERN BORDER OF THE CRUMBLING DYNASTY,

A NEW KING WAS CROWNED.

HIS ASCENSION TO THE THRONE \h\h\h\h\h\hWAS UNEXPECTED,

AND TO SOME WITHIN THE KINGDOM, REPRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY.

THIS NEW KING WAS 13 YEARS OLD,

\h\hILL-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--

\h\h\hLET ALONE CONTROL THE FATE OF HIS KINGDOM.

BUT THIS SEEMINGLY UNREMARKABLE HEIR

WOULD DO WHAT NO RULER \h\hHAD DONE BEFORE--

\h\h\h\h\h\hMAKE ONE NATION FROM THE REMNANTS OF A BROKEN EMPIRE.

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

BUT THERE’S LITTLE \hWE KNOW OF HIM.

\hAndrew 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, \hAS IT TURNS OUT,

\h\h\hMORE THAN A CENTURY AFTER QIN SHI HUANG DIED.

Schonebaum: AND IT REALLY IS \h\h\h\hA MAGNIFICENT TEXT.

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

\h\hAND IT HAS ALL THE MAKINGS OF, OF A GREAT NOVEL, REALLY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: BUT IS THAT TEXT ACCURATE?

\h\hACCORDING TO SIMA QIAN, LIVING WITH THE YOUNG RULER

WAS ZHENG’S WIDOWED MOTHER, \h\h\h\hQUEEN DOWAGER ZHAO.

♪

\h\h\h\hSHE 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 \h\h\h\hALLOW 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.

\h\h\hAND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COMMON PRACTICE AT THAT TIME

TO HAVE APPOINTED A REGENT

\hFOR RULERS WHO HAD NOT YET COME OF AGE.

\h\h\hNarrator: AS REGENT AND ADVISOR TO YING ZHENG,

\h\h\h\h\hLU BUWEI WAS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MAN IN THE PALACE--

THE POWER BEHIND THE THRONE,

WHO WOULD RULE THE KINGDOM \h\h\h\hFROM THE SHADOWS.

BUT HE HAD A SECRET OF HIS OWN TO HIDE.

HE WAS QUEEN ZHAO’S LOVER

AND THE LIKELY FATHER \h\hOF THE YOUNG KING.

Duan Qingbo, translated: \hLU BUWEI WAS CONCERNED

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

WHICH HE FEARED WOULD COST HIM \h\hHIS POSITION IN THE COURT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: TO CONCEAL HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE QUEEN,

LU BUWEI LOOKED FOR A MAN \h\hWHO COULD REPLACE HIM

IN THE QUEEN’S BEDROOM,

\h\h\h\hA MAN HE COULD TRUST AND HIS QUEEN WOULD ACCEPT.

Schonebaum: LU BUWEI FOUND \h\h\h\hA WELL-ENDOWED MAN

AND PARADED HIM ABOUT

\hSO THAT YING ZHENG’S MOTHER’S LASCIVIOUSNESS WOULD BE AROUSED.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Narrator: LU BUWEI’S SCHEME \h\h\h\h\hWORKED...AT FIRST.

LAO AI DISGUISED HIMSELF \h\h\h\h\h\hAS A EUNUCH

SO HE COULD ENTER THE QUEEN’S \h\hCHAMBER WITHOUT SUSPICION

\h\hAND ULTIMATELY CAPTURE HER HEART.

♪

\h\h\hTHE QUEEN WAS A WILLING ACCOMPLICE IN LU BUWEI’S PLAN.

AWAY FROM PRYING EYES,

SHE AND LAO AI BEGAN \h\hA TORRID AFFAIR

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

BETRAYALS COMING FROM \h\hWITHIN THE PALACE

WERE PERILS YOUNG ZHENG \h\h\hHAD TO ANTICIPATE.

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

HE WAS TOO INEXPERIENCED \hTO USE IT EFFECTIVELY.

AS A RESULT, HE HAD TO RELY \h\h\hON LU BUWEI’S ADVICE,

WHICH MAY NOT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN \h\h\h\hIN HIS BEST INTERESTS.

DESPITE THE CONSTANT STATE \h\hOF WAR IN THE REGION,

\h\h\hYING ZHENG HAD INHERITED A KINGDOM

THAT WAS STEADILY GROWING.

Schonebaum: THERE WERE \h\hTALENTED GENERALS.

THERE WERE WISE MINISTERS \h\h\h\hALREADY IN PLACE.

AND LU BUWEI WAS AMONG THEM.

SO WHILE YING ZHENG \h\hWAS A TEENAGER,

THE QIN STATE CONTINUED TO GROW AND CONSOLIDATE LAND

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND BECOME MORE AND MORE POWERFUL.

[SHOUTING]

Narrator: BUT THE END \hTO CENTURIES OF WAR

WAS STILL OFF IN THE FUTURE.

\hRIVAL STATES WERE CONSUMED IN BATTLING EACH OTHER FOR SURVIVAL

AND FOR SUPREMACY.

♪

IT WOULD TAKE A BOLD LEADER, \h\h\hWITH FEARLESS VISION,

\h\h\hTO RISE ABOVE THE FRAY AND SEIZE VICTORY FROM HIS ENEMIES.

♪

EIGHT YEARS LATER, 238 B.C.

\hTHE AFFAIR BETWEEN THE QUEEN AND HER LOVER HAD FLOURISHED.

LAO AI NO LONGER PRETENDED \hTO BE A SERVILE EUNUCH.

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

AND THE PAIR SECRETLY HAD TWO SONS TOGETHER.

\h\h\hBUT LAO AI WANTED MORE THAN LAVISH PALACE COMFORTS.

HE HAD HIS SIGHTS SET \h\hON A BIGGER PRIZE.

\h\hDuan: LAO AI HAD 3,000 MEN UNDER HIM

AND WAS RECRUITING MORE \h\h\h\h\hALL THE TIME.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHE WANTED TO SEIZE YING ZHENG’S THRONE FOR HIMSELF.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: 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.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHEN HIS PLOT TO OVERTHROW KING YING ZHENG

WAS DISCOVERED,

LAO AI DECIDED TO MAKE HIS MOVE.

WITHOUT THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE,

\h\hHE AND HIS FOLLOWERS RODE TOWARD THE PALACE,

\h\h\hINTENT ON MAKING A PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE.

♪

BUT THE KING WAS NO LONGER \h\h\h\hA NAIVE TEENAGER.

\hHE HAD LEARNED FROM HIS PALACE MINISTERS AND MILITARY ADVISORS

\hAND HAD CAREFULLY PLANNED A RESPONSE.

\hTHE KING SAW HIS CHANCE TO ELIMINATE BOTH LAO AI,

WHO WAS AFTER HIS THRONE,

AND LU BUWEI, HIS SCHEMING, \h\h\h\hTOO-POWERFUL REGENT.

YING ZHENG ANTICIPATED THAT LAO AI WOULD TRY

\h\h\h\hTO STORM THE PALACE BY ENTERING THE FRONT GATE.

[CREAKING]

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

[ARROWS WHIZZING]

\h\h\h\hLAO AI COULD ONLY WONDER WHO HAD ORCHESTRATED THE ATTACK.

THEN HE SPOTTED LU BUWEI,

\h\h\h\hTHE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS RISE IN THE PALACE.

[YELLS]

\h\hTHE CO-CONSPIRATORS WERE NOW MORTAL ENEMIES.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

\h\h\h\h\h\hDuan: LU BUWEI NEVER THOUGHT THAT LAO AI

\h\h\hWOULD POSE A THREAT TO HIS POWER IN THE COURT,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT NOW HE SAW THAT IF HE DIDN’T HELP STOP

\h\h\h\h\hLAO AI’S PLAN TO OVERTHROW YING ZHENG,

HE COULD LOSE EVERYTHING,

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

IT WAS ALL ABOUT PRESERVING HIS POSITION IN THE KINGDOM.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: TO FAIL IN A PALACE COUP

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIS TO INVITE THE MOST SEVERE PUNISHMENT.

[HORSES NEIGHING]

\h\h\hLAO 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 \h\hWERE EXECUTED OR EXILED

BY YING ZHENG.

\h\hBUT YING ZHENG DIDN’T STOP THERE.

HE HAD THE SONS OF LAO AI \h\hAND HIS MOTHER KILLED

\hTO KEEP THEM FROM ONE DAY SEEKING REVENGE AGAINST HIM.

\h\h\h\hIN A GESTURE OF MERCY, YING ZHENG SPARED HIS MOTHER,

\h\h\hBUT PLACED HER UNDER HOUSE ARREST.

NOW HE HAD ONE LAST CONSPIRATOR TO DEAL WITH.

\h\h\h\h\hLU 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 \h\h\hIN SICHUAN PROVINCE,

\h\h\h\h\hWHERE LU BUWEI LATER COMMITTED SUICIDE

BY DRINKING A CUP OF POISONED WINE.

SO HERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME \h\hSINCE TAKING THE THRONE,

\h\h\h\h\hYING ZHENG SHOWED HIS WILLINGNESS TO ACT FOR HIMSELF.

Narrator: IT WAS A TURNING POINT

\h\h\hIN THE GROWTH OF THE YOUNG RULER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSchonebaum: THE MOMENT WHEN YING ZHENG

BECOMES THE KING OF QIN \hAND THIS POWERFUL MAN

\h\h\h\h\h\hIS THE MOMENT AT WHICH LU BUWEI DECIDES

\hTO DRINK POISON AND KILL HIMSELF,

REALIZING THAT HE HAD ANGERED

\h\h\h\h\hWHAT HAD NOW BECOME THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL MAN.

Narrator: YING ZHENG WENT ON TO UNVEIL AN AMBITIOUS PLAN

\h\h\hTO UNIFY THE SEVEN WARRING STATES INTO ONE.

\h\hHE BEGAN TO APPOINT MEN OF ABILITY, GUEST OFFICERS,

\hREGARDLESS 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 \h\hTHE RULING IDEOLOGY

OF THE QIN EMPIRE.

\h\hJeffrey Riegel: HERE WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST EMPEROR

ALLOWING SOMEONE WHO CAME \h\h\hFROM AN ENEMY STATE,

\h\h\h\hTO SERVE HIM IN A CLOSE POSITION,

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

Narrator: YING ZHENG PROMOTED \hANOTHER TALENTED FOREIGNER,

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

\h\h\h\hRiegel: IN THIS CASE, WHAT THE FIRST EMPEROR WISHED

TO HAVE ZHENG GUO BUILD FOR HIM

WAS A CANAL THAT COULD BE USED \h\h\hTO TRANSFORM THE AREA--

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

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: HOWEVER, THE CANAL PROJECT HIT A SNAG

FROM THE VERY START.

\h\hYING ZHENG LEARNED THAT ZHENG GUO, WHOM HE TRUSTED,

WAS ACTUALLY A SPY FROM THE HAN STATE

SENT TO DIVERT QIN’S RESOURCES \h\h\h\hTO WASTEFUL PROJECTS.

THE KING’S MOST POWERFUL \h\h\hADVISORS URGED HIM

TO EXPEL ALL FOREIGN OFFICERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFROM THE STATE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT THEN LI SI, FROM THE CHU STATE, WEIGHED IN.

\hHE RISKED EXPULSION BY WRITING A PETITION

ARGUING THAT FOREIGNERS, \h\h\h\h\hLIKE HIMSELF,

WERE NEEDED IF YING ZHENG \hWAS TO ACHIEVE HIS DREAM

OF UNIFYING THE STATES.

Narrator: LI SI’S PETITION \h\h\h\h\hWAS 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

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hURGED HIM TO EXPEL ALL FOREIGNERS,

\h\hBUT 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 \hOF CHINESE HISTORY.

\h\h\hTHE CANAL THAT ZHENG GUO COMPLETED

MADE THE GUANZHONG PLAIN \h\h\hINTO FERTILE LAND.

\hAND, AS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION INCREASED,

THE QIN KINGDOM GREW RICHER \h\h\h\h\hTHAN OTHER STATES.

♪

WITH HIS TREASURY OVERFLOWING, \h\hYING ZHENG WAS DETERMINED

\hTO MAKE HIS DREAM OF UNITING THE WARRING STATES A REALITY.

[SHOUTING]

\h\h\hHE REPORTEDLY RECRUITED A MILLION MEN TO BECOME SOLDIERS,

\h\h\h\h\hSUPPLYING THEM WITH THE LATEST WEAPONS

AND TRAINING THEM IN THE ART OF WAR.

THE RESULT WAS A FORMIDABLE \h\h\h\h\hFIGHTING MACHINE.

♪

IT WOULD TAKE TIME,

BUT YING ZHENG’S WARRIORS \hWERE READY TO MOBILIZE.

[SHOUTING]

A MILLION MEN STOOD POISED TO SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES,

TO FIGHT THEIR ENEMIES \h\hON THE BATTLEFIELD

AND BUILD YING ZHENG’S \h\h\h\hMIGHTY EMPIRE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 230 B.C., THE 29-YEAR-OLD KING OF QIN

\hEMBARKED ON AN EPIC CAMPAIGN OF CONQUEST.

HE WANTED TO CREATE AN EMPIRE

\h\h\h\h\h\hOUT OF THE PIECES OF THE CRUMBLING ZHOU DYNASTY,

\h\hAND NOW HE HAD THE ARMY TO DO IT.

THE KING’S FORCES NUMBERED \h\h\hOVER A MILLION MEN,

HAD A VAST ARSENAL OF WEAPONS,

\h\h\h\h\hAND KNEW ONLY ONE BATTLE STRATEGY--TO ATTACK.

♪

\h\hTHE FIRST TARGET IN YING ZHENG’S PLAN

WAS THE NEIGHBORING STATE \h\h\hOF HAN TO THE EAST.

IN THE PAST, THE STATES \h\hOF THE ZHOU DYNASTY

CREATED A SERIES OF ALLIANCES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND COALITIONS

\hTO PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST THE THREAT OF A POWERFUL ENEMY.

IT WORKED FOR A WHILE.

\h\hBUT THINGS WERE DIFFERENT THIS TIME.

\h\hDIPLOMACY PROVED USELESS AGAINST THE QIN WAR MACHINE.

\h\hIN LITTLE TIME, THE HAN STATE FELL.

♪

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

BLOOD FLOWED FREELY ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

\h\hDuan: THE QIN MILITARY WAS SUCH A POWERFUL FIGHTING FORCE

THAT THE OTHER KINGDOMS \h\h\h\h\hGREW DESPERATE

TO COME UP WITH STRATEGIES \h\h\hTO COUNTERACT THEM.

\h\h\h\h\h\hONE OF THEM WAS THE KINGDOM OF YAN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: TWO YEARS INTO THE WAR,

DIPLOMATS FROM YAN \hARRIVED 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 \h\h\h\h\h\hOF A QIN GENERAL

WHO YEARS EARLIER \hHAD FLED TO YAN

AFTER BETRAYING THE QIN STATE.

♪

\hJING KE ALSO BROUGHT A MAP OF THE YAN LANDS

TO BE PRESENTED TO THE RULER

\h\hAS A GESTURE SIGNIFYING THE PEACEFUL SURRENDER OF THE STATE.

BUT HIDDEN WITHIN THE MAP \h\h\h\h\hWAS A SURPRISE.

♪

WHILE YING ZHENG AVOIDED \h\h\hTHE POISON DAGGER,

\h\hHE 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 \h\hELUDED JING KE.

THEN, SWORD IN HAND, \h\h\hHE KILLED HIM.

♪

DESPITE ESCAPING UNHARMED,

THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT \h\h\hINFURIATED THE KING.

ENRAGED, HE ORDERED HIS ARMY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO RETALIATE

\hBY SPEEDING UP THE WAR AGAINST HIS ADVERSARIES.

[SHOUTING]

Narrator: THE SLAUGHTER BEGAN.

\h\hTHE NEIGHBORING STATES WERE NO MATCH FOR QIN’S MASSIVE ARMY

OF SKILLFULLY TRAINED SOLDIERS.

10 YEARS PASSED.

ONE BY ONE, THE QIN ARMIES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCONQUERED THE SIX NEIGHBORING STATES

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT BATTLED FOR THE PAST 200 YEARS.

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

\h\h\hRiegel: PEOPLE HAD THOUGHT ABOUT AN EMPIRE

THAT OCCUPIED IN EFFECT \h\h\h\hTHE WHOLE WORLD,

\hBUT IT WAS YING ZHENG WHO ACTUALLY CREATED IT.

\h\hAND 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.

\hA MASSIVE CROWD GATHERED FOR A CORONATION CEREMONY

\hIN THE CAPITAL OF QIN, WHERE, AT 38 YEARS OLD,

YING ZHENG NAMED HIMSELF \h\h\h\h\hQIN SHI HUANG,

\h\h\hTHE FIRST EMPEROR OF A VAST NEW TERRITORY,

\h\h\h\h\hA TERRITORY WE NOW KNOW AS CHINA.

THE TITLE OF EMPEROR MEANT

\hTHAT THERE WAS NOW ONE AND ONLY ONE SOVEREIGN--

A DECLARATION THAT THE ENTIRE \hCOUNTRY 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 \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF 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 \h\h\h\hAS BEING ELEVATED

TO THAT OF THE RULER \h\h\hOF AN EMPIRE,

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

Narrator: BUT AS EMPEROR,

QIN SHI HUANG STILL FACED \h\h\h\h\hMANY CHALLENGES.

AMONG THEM WAS THE NEED TO BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE

\h\hFROM DIFFERENT STATES AND CULTURES UNDER A SINGLE SYSTEM

TO CONSOLIDATE HIS REALM.

Schonebaum: IT’S PRETTY CLEAR \h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT HE RECOGNIZED

\h\h\hTHAT WHAT HE WAS DOING HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

\hIT 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 \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF GOVERNMENT.

QIN SHI HUANG ABOLISHED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFEUDALISM,

\h\h\hDIVIDING THE EMPIRE INTO 36 PREFECTURES, OR PROVINCES,

\h\h\h\hWHICH WERE PLACED UNDER HIS DIRECT CONTROL.

THIS CENTRALIZATION OF POWER \h\h\h\h\hWAS UNPRECEDENTED.

OFFICIALS WERE APPOINTED \h\h\h\h\h\hTO POSITIONS

\h\h\h\h\hON THE BASIS OF MERIT AND ABILITY,

RATHER THAN ON HEREDITARY RIGHTS OR FAMILY TIES.

THIS SYSTEM, KNOWN AS LEGALISM,

\h\h\hREPRESENTED A BREAK FROM PREVIOUS TRADITIONS.

Schonebaum: THE EARLY LEGALISTS VIEWED HUMANS

AS ESSENTIALLY SELFISH,

BUT NOT NECESSARILY \h\h\hIN A BAD WAY.

\hTHEY THOUGHT THAT THE STATE COULD HARNESS THIS SELFISHNESS

AND ALLOW THEIR SUBJECTS

TO PURSUE THEIR DESIRES \h\h\h\h\h\hAND PASSIONS

IN THE SERVICE OF THE STATE.

\hNarrator: QIN SHI HUANG HAD TO OVERCOME FIERCE OPPOSITION

\h\h\h\hFROM POWERFUL MINISTERS FOR HIS REFORMATIONS TO SUCCEED.

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

\h\hAND WROTE MANY OF QIN’S NEW LAWS.

Riegel: QIN DIDN’T EMPHASIZE \h\h\hRITUAL AND TRADITION.

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

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF SOMETHING THAT DIDN’T VARY OR CHANGE

\h\h\h\hACCORDING TO FAMILY OR ACCORDING TO LOCAL PLACE.

\h\hTHIS IS SOMETHING INTRODUCED BY THE QIN.

Narrator: IN 1975,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS GOT A FIRSTHAND \h\hLOOK AT QIN’S LEGAL SYSTEM

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

IN HUNAN PROVINCE.

\h\h\h\hANALYSIS REVEALED THAT THE LAWS WERE WRITTEN

DURING QIN SHI HUANG’S REIGN.

THE BAMBOO SLIPS DEMONSTRATE \h\hHOW EXTENSIVE AND STRICT

THE LAWS WERE AT THE TIME.

\h\h\h\h\hTHEY REGULATED PEOPLE’S LIVES CLOSELY,

AND HARSH PUNISHMENTS WERE \hMETED OUT TO VIOLATORS.

THERE WERE ALSO OTHER CHANGES \h\h\hIN STORE FOR THE EMPIRE.

LI SI STANDARDIZED WEIGHTS \h\h\h\hAND MEASUREMENTS.

\h\hUNITS OF VOLUME, LENGTH, AND WEIGHT WERE MADE UNIFORM

\hTO SIMPLIFY TRADE AND TAX COLLECTION.

\hQIN SHI HUANG CONTINUED HIS STANDARDIZATION POLICY

THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE.

♪

THIS IS THE BAN LIANG COIN \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE QIN.

AT THE TIME, DIFFERENT REGIONS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE COUNTRY

USED DIFFERENT TYPES \h\h\h\hOF CURRENCY.

\h\hQIN SHI HUANG UNIFIED THE CURRENCY WITH BAN LIANG COINS,

MAKING BUYING AND SELLING \hEASIER THROUGHOUT CHINA.

\hBUT THAT WASN’T THE LAST OF THE EMPEROR’S CHANGES.

\h\h\h\h\h\hAMONG THE REFORMS THAT QIN SHI HUANG INTRODUCED

TO UNIFY CHINA, ONE STOOD \hAS THE MOST CHALLENGING.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: EACH STATE IN THE NEWLY CREATED EMPIRE

HAD ITS OWN FORM OF WRITING,

WHICH MADE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THEM DIFFICULT.

THIS WAS THE BIGGEST \h\hSTUMBLING BLOCK

\h\hTO ENFORCING QIN’S NEW LAWS AND POLICIES.

♪

IT WAS IMPORTANT TO UNIFY \h\h\h\hTHE WRITING SYSTEM

AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

THE EMPEROR SENT SCHOLARS \h\h\h\h\hTO EACH PROVINCE

TO TEACH THE QIN SCRIPT.

SINCE WRITING SYSTEMS EXPRESS \h\h\h\h\hTHOUGHT AND CULTURE,

\hQIN SHI HUANG KNEW THAT WITHOUT A UNIFIED SCRIPT,

\h\hHIS EMPIRE COULD DISSOLVE INTO CHAOS.

IMPOSING A UNIVERSAL \h\hWRITTEN LANGUAGE

MADE FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION \hAND ACCEPTANCE OF POLICIES.

THESE CHARACTERS MEAN "HORSE"

IN THE VARYING SCRIPTS \h\h\h\hOF EACH STATE.

QIN SHI HUANG UNIFIED THEM \h\h\hWITH THE QIN SCRIPT.

Wang: THE SIGNIFICANCE \h\h\h\hOF INTRODUCING

A STANDARDIZED SYSTEM OF WRITING CANNOT BE OVERSTATED

BECAUSE IT FACILITATED GREATLY \h\hTHE NEW SYSTEM BUREAUCRACY

THAT WAS INTRODUCED UNDER QIN SHI HUANG.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: MANY OF THE STANDARDIZED CHINESE CHARACTERS

\h\h\h\h\hESTABLISHED DURING THE QIN DYNASTY

\h\h\hHAVE SURVIVED TO THE PRESENT DAY.

QIN SHI HUANG HAD ACHIEVED \h\hWHAT MANY HAD DREAMED,

BUT NO ONE HAD DONE BEFORE--

UNITING THE WARRING STATES \h\hINTO A SINGLE NATION.

HE CREATED A NEW SOCIETY BASED \hNOT ON CUSTOM AND TRADITION,

\h\h\hBUT ON A POWERFUL CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND THE RULE OF LAW.

\hYET DESPITE THIS ACHIEVEMENT, QIN SHI HUANG HAS BEEN PORTRAYED

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHROUGHOUT 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 \h\h\h\hBE BURIED ALIVE.

THE REASONS FOR BOOK BURNING--

\h\h\h\hESSENTIALLY SUPPRESSING FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SPEECH--

WERE POLITICAL.

THE EMPEROR WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SPREAD OF IDEAS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOPPOSING HIS REFORMATION POLICIES

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND 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,

\h\h\hTHAT IT REALLY REPRESENTED A BURNING OF ALL OF LITERATURE.

I THINK WE SHOULD, \hIF IT HAPPENED,

WE SHOULD TAKE IT AS AN EXAMPLE

OF A GOVERNMENT WANTING TO CONTROL INFORMATION,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWANTING TO DEFINE WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG,

TO CREATE A KIND OF ORTHODOXY.

AND I THINK THERE’S NOTHING \hESPECIALLY UNIQUE IN THAT.

\h\h\h\h\hEVERY COUNTRY, EVERY CIVILIZATION WANTS TO BE ABLE

TO TELL ITS STORY THE WAY \h\hTHEY WANT TO TELL IT.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: ACCORDING TO THE HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS,

THE QIN DYNASTY DID NOT \h\h\hDESTROY ALL BOOKS.

SOME COPIES OF FORBIDDEN TEXTS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWERE PRESERVED

\hIN THE EMPEROR’S IMPERIAL ARCHIVES.

WRITINGS ON MEDICINE, FARMING, \h\hTECHNOLOGY, AND ASTRONOMY

WERE KNOWN TO BE KEPT \h\h\h\hIN THE PALACE.

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

BUT MORE DISTURBING \hTHAN BOOK BURNINGS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE ACCOUNTS OF THE EMPEROR’S BRUTALITY,

DESIGNED TO ENFORCE OBEDIENCE \h\h\h\hTHROUGH INTIMIDATION.

ACCORDING TO THE RECORDS \h\h\h\h\hOF HISTORIANS

WRITING AFTER THE FALL \hOF THE QIN DYNASTY,

\h\h\hQIN SHI HUANG ORDERED THAT 460 CONFUCIAN SCHOLARS,

\hWHO 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,

\hWHICH LEADS HISTORIANS TO DOUBT THEIR VALIDITY.

\hWang: AND SINCE IN CHINESE HISTORY

\h\h\hTHERE WAS A LONGSTANDING PRACTICE OF DYNASTIC HISTORIES

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBEING WRITTEN BY THE SUCCESSOR DYNASTIES,

\h\hTHE VIEW THAT IS PRESENTED OF QIN SHI HUANG BY SIMA QIAN,

\h\hWHO IS ACTUALLY WRITING DURING THE HISTORICAL PERIOD

FOLLOWING THE QIN DYNASTY,

\hPRESENTS A RULER WHO WAS A TYRANT.

Riegel: WHENEVER PEOPLE TALKED \h\h\h\h\h\hABOUT BAD RULERS,

BAD KINGS IN THE PAST,

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

\h\h\hWAS THAT THIS WAS A PERSON WHO HAD NO RESPECT FOR SCHOLARS

\h\h\h\hAND BURIED THEM OR, OR BURNED DOCUMENTS,

AND SO, IN EFFECT,

\hWHAT, WHAT WE’RE TOLD ABOUT THE FIRST EMPEROR

IS JUST PART OF A TRADITION

OF CRITICIZING RULERS \hTHAT YOU DON’T LIKE.

AND SO, IN MY VIEW,

\hI DON’T THINK WE CAN GIVE VERY MUCH HISTORICAL WEIGHT

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO THOSE CLAIMS MADE AGAINST THE FIRST EMPEROR.

Narrator: RATHER THAN BEING A CRUEL TYRANT,

IT’S LIKELY THAT QIN SHI HUANG \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS A TARGET

OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDA

CREATED BY THE HAN DYNASTY \h\h\hTHAT SUCCEEDED HIS.

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

JUSTIFY AND ELEVATE \hITS OWN EXISTENCE.

Schonebaum: ALL OF OUR SOURCES \h\h\hFOR QIN DYNASTY HISTORY

\hCOME 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 \hCONSISTENTLY PORTRAY

\h\hQIN 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 \h\h\hIS OFTEN PORTRAYED

AS AN EVIL TYRANT,

BUT ACTUALLY, HE WAS A KING

\h\hWHO WAS MORE FAIR-MINDED THAN HE’S GIVEN CREDIT FOR.

HE DIDN’T TOLERATE CORRUPTION \h\h\h\h\h\hFROM BUREAUCRATS,

\h\h\hESPECIALLY WHEN IT CAME AT THE EXPENSE OF THE PEOPLE.

[SPEAKING JAPANESE]

I THINK WE SHOULD REEVALUATE \hHOW WE VIEW QIN SHI HUANG.

[SPEAKING JAPANESE]

\h\h\hNarrator: BY VIRTUE OF HIS MILITARY AND POLITICAL PROWESS,

\hQIN SHI HUANG ENDED CENTURIES OF CONFLICT

\h\h\h\h\hAND BROUGHT PEACE TO THE CONSTANTLY WARRING STATES.

\hDURING HIS 12-YEAR REIGN, HE JOURNEYED THROUGHOUT HIS REALM

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

\hBUT HE ALSO HAD A PERSONAL REASON

FOR UNDERTAKING THESE TOURS.

Riegel: HE WANTED TO LIVE \h\h\hAS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

HE WANTED TO PROLONG \h\h\hHIS LIFETIME.

AND SO, ONE OF THE REASONS

\h\h\h\hFOR MAKING THESE, UH, EXPEDITIONS AROUND HIS EMPIRE

WAS TO LOOK FOR THE SECRETS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF IMMORTALITY

THAT WOULD ENABLE THE FIRST EMPEROR

TO EXTEND HIS LIFETIME \hAND EXTEND HIS REIGN

SO THAT HE COULD CONTINUE \hTO RULE OVER HIS EMPIRE.

Narrator: AS HE TRAVELED \h\hTHROUGH HIS EMPIRE,

\h\h\h\h\h\hQIN SHI HUANG HAD STONE MONUMENTS, CALLED STELE,

ERECTED TO COMMEMORATE \h\h\h\h\h\hHIS TOURS.

ENGRAVED ON THEM ARE HIS DECREES,

ACHIEVEMENTS, AND EXPLOITS--

THE ONLY WRITTEN RECORDS \h\h\h\h\hFROM THE TIME.

BUT EVEN AFTER FORMING \hA MIGHTY SUPERPOWER,

QIN SHI HUANG’S REALM WAS NOT \h\hFREE FROM OUTSIDE THREATS.

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

\hMOST EXTENSIVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO DEFEND HIS NATION.

\h\h\hTHE GREAT WALL OF CHINA-- ERECTED AS A DEFENSIVE PERIMETER

AGAINST ENEMIES ATTACKING \h\h\h\h\hFROM THE NORTH--

HAS BECOME QIN SHI HUANG’S \h\h\hMOST VISIBLE LEGACY.

\h\h\h\hTODAY, IT DRAWS SOME 10 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR.

PORTIONS OF THE WALL HAD ALREADY EXISTED,

BUILT BY RULERS OF THE STATES \hQIN 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 \h\h\hOF OTHER KINGDOMS.

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

THAT WAS PRIMARILY A PROJECT \h\h\h\hOF THE MING DYNASTY.

THE QIN DYNASTY WALL \hWAS TAMPED EARTH,

ESSENTIALLY SETTING UP \h\hWOODEN FRAMEWORKS

AND TAMPING EARTH BETWEEN THEM,

AND THEN RAISING THE FRAME \h\hTO THE DESIRED HEIGHT.

Narrator: ONCE COMPLETED,

THE GREAT WALL FORMED \h\h\hA VAST STRUCTURE

RUNNING OVER 5,000 MILES--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hA MONUMENT TO QIN SHI HUANG’S VISION

OF A GREAT CHINESE EMPIRE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHIS FINAL GREAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS CREATING A NATIONAL NETWORK OF ROADS.

\h\h\h2,000 YEARS LATER, THESE MAGNIFICENT ROADS

TESTIFY TO THE SPLENDOR \h\hOF THE QIN DYNASTY.

THE EMPEROR PROBABLY TRAVELED \h\h\h\h\h\hALONG THIS ROADWAY

ON HIS INSPECTION TOURS.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE EMPIRE THAT QIN SHI HUANG CREATED

WAS CENTERED AROUND \h\hTHE YELLOW RIVER

\h\h\h\h\hAND STRETCHED FROM THE GREAT WALL IN THE NORTH

TO THE BORDERS OF VIETNAM \h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE SOUTH.

HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS \h\hARE STAGGERING.

\h\h\h\hIN JUST OVER TWO DECADES OF RULE,

\h\h\hQIN SHI HUANG LAID THE FOUNDATION OF CHINA

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT WOULD LAST FOR THE NEXT 2,000 YEARS.

ONCE A VULNERABLE 13-YEAR-OLD \h\hKING CONTROLLED BY OTHERS,

YING ZHENG SURVIVED TREACHERY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE PALACE,

\h\h\h\hOUTWITTED HIS ENEMIES, AND BECAME A POWERFUL LEADER.

[SHOUTING]

AFTER A DECADE-LONG WAR,

\h\hHE UNIFIED CHINA AND BUILT AN EMPIRE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hDESPITE A REPUTATION THAT PORTRAYED HIM AS A TYRANT,

\h\h\h\hQIN SHI HUANG HAS EMERGED AS A RULER

WHO TRANSFORMED THE WORLD \h\h\h\hHE WAS BORN INTO.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

\h\hXu Weimin, translated: HIS ACHIEVEMENTS OUTWEIGH

ANY OF HIS FAILURES.

SOME SAY THAT HE WAS TOO HARSH

AND THAT HIS MASSIVE \hBUILDING PROJECTS

\h\h\h\h\h\hMAY HAVE SPED UP THE FALL OF THE QIN EMPIRE.

OTHERS ARE EVEN MORE DISMISSIVE,

SAYING HE BURNED BOOKS \hAND KILLED SCHOLARS.

\h\h\hBUT IF WE LOOK AT HIS ENTIRE REIGN,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWE CAN SEE THAT HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE

TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAS A NATION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN MY VIEW, HE CERTAINLY WASN’T THE TYRANT

THE HISTORICAL RECORDS \hCLAIMED THAT HE WAS.

Narrator: 210 B.C.,

12 YEARS AFTER CHINA \h\h\h\hWAS UNIFIED.

QIN SHI HUANG WAS ON ANOTHER QUEST,

THIS TIME FOR IMMORTALITY.

NOW 50 YEARS OLD, THE EMPEROR \hWAS EXHAUSTED FROM OVERWORK

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND WEAKENED FROM INGESTING MERCURY PILLS,

\h\h\hWHICH HE BELIEVED WOULD MAKE HIM IMMORTAL.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\hON A HOT SUMMER DAY, DURING A TOUR OF EASTERN CHINA,

THE EMPEROR DIED...

NOT IN HIS ROYAL PALACE, \h\hBUT IN HIS CARRIAGE.

THE EXACT CAUSE OF DEATH \h\hWAS NEVER REVEALED,

THOUGH IT’S THOUGHT \hMERCURY POISONING

LIKELY PLAYED A PART \h\h\hIN HIS DEMISE.

THE EMPEROR’S BODY WAS RETURNED TO THE QIN CAPITAL

AND THEN LAID TO REST \h\h\hIN HIS MAUSOLEUM

UNDER THE MAN-MADE MOUNTAIN \h\h\h\hIN NEARBY XIANYANG.

♪

THE FUNERAL PROCESSION \h\h\h\hENTERED A TOMB

THAT WAS THE STUFF OF WONDER.

A LAVISH, DIVINELY INSPIRED \h\h\hREPLICA OF HIS EMPIRE

AWAITED HIM UNDERGROUND--

A WORLD HE BELIEVED

HE WOULD RULE IN THE AFTERLIFE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR ETERNITY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hRECORDS FROM HISTORIAN SIMA QIAN CLAIM

\h\hTHAT IT TOOK 700,000 WORKERS 38 YEARS TO BUILD THE MAUSOLEUM.

\hJOINING HIM IN THE AFTERLIFE WERE MANY PRICELESS TREASURES,

INCLUDING RARE BIRDS \h\h\h\hAND ANIMALS,

AS WELL AS HIS CHILDLESS WIVES,

ALL SEALED WITH QIN SHI HUANG \h\h\h\hIN HIS BURIAL CHAMBER.

A RULER WHO DREAMED \h\hOF IMMORTALITY,

\h\hHE ALSO HAD AN ARMY OF TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

BURIED NEARBY TO PROTECT HIM \h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE AFTERLIFE

AND ENHANCE HIS LEGACY.

\h\h\h\hXu: QIN SHI HUANG HAS HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE

OVER THE LAST 2,000 YEARS \h\h\hOF CHINA’S HISTORY.

MANY OF THE SYSTEMS AND POLICIES

THAT HE ORIGINATED \hDURING HIS REIGN

ARE STILL IN PLACE TODAY.

Duan: HE IS THE ONE FIGURE

\h\hWHO CANNOT BE LEFT OUT OF ANY RECORD OF CHINESE HISTORY.

Narrator: JUST FOUR YEARS AFTER QIN SHI HUANG DIED,

THE DYNASTY HE ESTABLISHED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCOLLAPSED.

\h\h\hBUT THE NATION HE CREATED LIVED ON AND STILL EXISTS TODAY.

\h\hCHINA IS A COUNTRY OF 1.4 BILLION PEOPLE,

COMPRISING 55 DIFFERENT \h\h\h\h\hETHNIC GROUPS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHO SPEAK 120 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

HOME TO THIS RICH DIVERSITY \hFOR THE PAST 2,000 YEARS,

IT’S REMAINED ONE NATION.

Riegel: WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND

THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF EMPIRE \h\h\hTHAT YING ZHENG CREATED

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

\h\h\hNarrator: CHINA NOW ENJOYS THE GREATEST ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

IN ITS HISTORY.

SCHOLARS TELL US THE ESSENTIAL \h\h\h\hPRINCIPLES AND BELIEFS

OF QIN SHI HUANG

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE STILL WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF THE NATION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSchonebaum: I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT

PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT \hLEGACY OF QIN SHI HUANG

IS THE IDEA OF EMPIRE ITSELF.

♪