Abstract

The Qin dynasty was the foundational dynasty for the entire imperial period, if for no other reason than it established the structures and processes that were the starting point for all that followed. ¹ There were, inevitably, changes to all aspects of these systems over time. Yet there was a degree of continuity, stretching perhaps even to the present. The state of Qin was prominent throughout the Warring States period of disunity in the area that would become China. The story of the Qin dynasty, however, begins in the fourth century bce, well before its founding ended the Warring States.