Qin Shi Huang, The first emperor of China

This man lived from 259 BC to 210 BC and was the first emperor of China. His real name was actually 嬴政(Yínzhèng), but it changed to Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇 when he became emperor:

• “秦” means Qin dynasty

• “始” means start

• “皇” means emperor in Chinese

People memorize Qin Shi Huang because he united China. In 9 years’ time, 秦始皇 defeated six states and united these areas to work together, despite everyone’s differences. And while he was emperor, he simplified a lot of things. Books had to have the same characters, roads the same width, the areas had to use the same type of money, and weight or length had to be measured with the same units. He also started the Great Wall, which many emperors after him continued to expand.

Before his death, he ordered the construction of a great tomb for himself. It took almost 40 years to build and more than 800,000 people worked on it, making statues of 7,000 warriors, 100 chariots, and 100 horses. This tomb is now known as the Terracotta Army in Xi’an.