First Emperor: Qin Shi Huang

Attribution: Miuki

258 BC - 210 BC

First Qin Emperor

Born Ying Zheng in 259 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang was the son of the king of the Qin state. A formidable and ambitious young man, he succeeded his father's regality at the age of 13 and assumed full power at 22 by ridding himself of the premier Lu Buwei, who acted as regent while he was a minor. His vision to unify and subjugate states like Han, Wai, Chu Zhao, Yan and Qi by the political, economic and military strength of the Qin state was realised 221 BC when he established the first ever centralised empire in Chinese history. This was the birth of the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC), and as its first emperor, Ying Zheng proclaimed himself "Qin Shi Huang" - 'Huang' meaning emperor and 'Shi' meaning first.

In a bid to consolidate and stabilise the nascent empire, Qin Shu Huang brought in a raft of reforms, including autocratic control of the regions, bypassing the lower echelons of government. In economy he prioritised agriculture and commerce and introduced tax reforms. In his cultural overhaul he unified the Chinese characters in writing in order to promote the development of the Chinese culture.

Qin Shi Huang was determined to live for as long as possible, and sent his ministers on quests for an elixir of immortality. Nevertheless, he died whilst travelling in 210 BC, at the not so ripe old age of 49.