How long did it take for Qin to truly unify China?

Qin unified China for 15 years. The country was unified in 221 BC, and the Qin Dynasty fell in 207 BC.

The Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 207 BC) was the first unified dynasty in Chinese history that developed from the Qin State during the Warring States Period. The ancestor of the Qin people, Da Fei, was a descendant of Zhuan Xu, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. Shun gave him the surname Ying.

During the reign of Duke Mu of Qin, he appointed virtuous officials and accepted advice with an open mind. He destroyed twelve countries, opened up thousands of miles of land, and the country's power grew day by day. In 361 BC, Qin Xiaogong succeeded to the throne and implemented Shang Yang's two reforms, which enabled Qin's economy to develop, its army's combat effectiveness continued to increase, and it developed into the most prosperous vassal state in the late Warring States Period. Qin Wangzheng successively destroyed Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, completing the great cause of unification.

In 221 BC, King Qin proclaimed himself emperor and was known as "Qin Shihuang" in history. The Qin Dynasty established three ministers and nine ministers in the central government to manage national affairs; it abolished the feudal system at the local level and replaced it with the system of counties and counties; it implemented the same writing system, the same track as the carts, and unified weights and measures.

In foreign affairs, he attacked the Xiongnu in the north, conquered Baiyue in the south, built the Great Wall to repel foreign enemies, and dug the Ling Canal to connect the water system. The establishment of a centralized system established the basic pattern of China's political system for more than 2,000 years and laid the foundation for the rule of China's unified dynasty. Therefore, it is called "Qin's political law has been implemented for a hundred generations."

Extended information:

Qin Dynasty territory

Territorial area

After Qin annexed the Six Kingdoms, its territory reached the area south of the Yangtze River Basin . At the beginning of the Qin Dynasty, he attacked the Xiongnu in the north to capture Hetao, and sent Tu Sui to lead 500,000 Qin troops to pacify Baiyue. The territory expanded rapidly, reaching about 3.4 million square kilometers. At its peak, the territory started from Liaodong in the east, reached the plateau in the west, occupied Lingnan in the south, and reached Lingnan in the north. Yinshan Mountain laid the foundation for the Western Han Dynasty to consolidate the Han Dynasty.

Administrative division

After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shihuang adopted the suggestion of Prime Minister Li Si and abolished the enfeoffment system handed down from the Western Zhou Dynasty. In terms of national management, a single system of prefectures and counties was implemented, and the princes were abolished. Prefectures and counties were established and the world was divided into 36 counties.

Then the south was merged with the southern Yue land south of Wuling, and the three counties of Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun were set up. The land south of Yinshan Mountain was taken from the north and Jiuyuan County was set up. Later, Donghai, Hengshan, Jibei, Jiaodong, Hanoi and Hengshan counties.

The Qin Dynasty did not adopt the enfeoffment system, but adopted the county system. The country was initially divided into thirty-six counties, which was later increased to forty-eight.

Baidu Encyclopedia—Qin Dynasty