written by lim s k illustrated by ren changhong translated ... · written by lim s k illustrated by...

Written by Lim S KIllustrated by Ren Changhong

Translated by Wu Jingyu & Li En

Front Page 2 OK.pmd 2/14/11, 1:19 PM1

4

Foreword

The discovery of over 7,000 life-size terracotta soldiers in Mount Li,Shaanxi, in 1974 is one of the most momentous archaeological finds ofthe 20th century. These soldiers were guarding the grave of the FirstEmperor of China, Qin Shihuang, who ruled a unified China from 221 to210 BC. Historians generally agree that no Chinese ruler has arousedmore controversy than the enigmatic “Builder of the Great Wall” and the“Burner of Books”. The impact of Qin Shihuang’s short-lived dynasty onthe history of ancient China was profound. It laid the foundation of apolitical system that lasted in China for two millennia.

Born in 258 BC, Qin Shihuang lost his father, the king of the state ofZhao, when he was 13 years old. As a youth, he had to suppress armeduprisings and, at the same time, introduce a comprehensive programmeof reforms to strengthen his rule. As a result, the initial foundations werelaid for his ultimate task of creating a unified China. After five centuries ofdisunity and strife in the land, Qin Shihuang had succeeded in what noruler before him had been able to accomplish — China was united underone ruler and the Qin Dynasty was proclaimed in 221 BC. It must benoted that the First Emperor recognised the importance of utilising thebest talents to achieve his ambitions. Li Si, for example, was not a nativeof Qin but was made the chief adviser. Indeed, Qin Shihuang himself wasvery much involved in the day-to-day administration of his empire. Heread piles of reports and documents to keep abreast of state affairs.

Although the First Emperor lived only 11 more years after the founding ofthe Qin Dynasty, a total transformation of the land took place under hisrule. He created a centralised government and standardised ancient China’slaws, currency, roads, weights and measures, axle lengths, and writtenlanguage. Obsessed by his desire to be the emperor par excellence, QinShihuang ordered the construction of many large-scale projects, such asthe Great Wall and his own mausoleum at Mount Li. These grand schemesto enhance his reputation cost the country dearly. Thousands died andrebellions became rife. Hence, despite his significant achievements, Qin

Front 3-5 FINAL OK.pmd 2/9/11, 7:06 PM4

5

Shihuang was remembered more for his atrocities.

The story of Qin Shihuang has been widely written and even films havebeen produced. Why add to the archive? This is because the rise and fallof the First Emperor and the collapse of the Qin Dynasty is nowdocumented in a unique form — a comic book — a medium which iswidely accessible and commercially available. It is safe to claim that comicbooks are not just for kids anymore. In fact, it has developed into a genrefor presenting the weightier matters of history. Asiapac has successfullyretold the story of the Qin Dynasty through an integration of words andpictures into a flexible, powerful literary form capable of a wide range ofnarrative effects. It is a worthy example of “fact-based” comic booksthat are now gaining popularity in the literary world. Indeed, for Asiapac,this comic book is an invaluable addition to its highly-acclaimed range ofcomic books based on serious themes, historical personalities and events.

Dr Goh Chor BoonHumanities and Social Studies EducationNational Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore

Front 3-5 FINAL OK.pmd 2/9/11, 7:06 PM5

Duke Xiang of Qin(reigned 777-766 BC)The first Qin ruler tobe bestowed the titleof ‘duke’

Duke Mu of Qin(reigned 659-621 BC)Among the “FiveHegemons of theSpring & AutumnPeriod”

Duke Xiao of Qin(reigned 361-338 BC)Adopted reformsproposed by ShangYang, making Qin thestrongest of the‘Seven States’

King Huiwen of Qin(reigned 337-311 BC)Became the first Qinruler to use the title‘King’

King Zhaoxiang of Qin(reigned 306-251 BC)Ruled Qin for over 50years, longer than anyother ruler of the state.

King Zhuangxiang of Qin(reigned 249-247 BC)Ascended the thronethrough the shrewdnessof Lü Buwei. His son YingZheng became EmperorQin Shihuang.

Qin Shihuang(reigned 246-210 BC)Conquered and unified the six remaining statesunder the Qin Dynasty and was the first monarchto use the title ‘emperor’. His reign was controversialdue to some cruel practices but he is credited withbeing the ‘founding father’ of a unified China.

The Second Emperor of Qin(reigned 209-207BC)One of Qin Shihuang’s younger sons,he ascended the throne through themanipulation of Zhao Gao. His incom-petence led to the downfall of theQin Dynasty.

Characters

characters FINAL OK.pmd 2/9/11, 8:34 PM6

Shang Yang (c.395-338 BC)Under Duke Xiao’spatronage, he implementeda series of reforms that laidthe foundation for Qin’s riseto its former glory.

Baili Xi(dates unknown)Duke Mu’s influentialministers. Duke Mufamously redeemed hisfreedom for five piecesof sheepskin.

Bai Qi (?-257 BC)One of Qin’s most famous generalsand mastermind of the victoriousBattle of Changping against Zhao.

Fan Ju (?-255 BC)King Zhaoxiang’sadviser. His “befriendthe faraway stateswhile attacking nearbyones” stratagemproved successful.

Lü Buwei (?-235 BC)A rich and shrewdbusinessman who wasresponsible for puttingKing Zhuangxiang onthe throne.

Wang Jian(dates unknown)He and his son Wang Benvanquished the six remain-ing states except Han.

Meng Tian(dates unknown)General under Qin Shihuangfamous for his exploitsagainst the Huns.

Zhang Yi (?-309)Qin’s first prime ministersince the position wascreated. Adviser toKing Huiwen andsuccessfully broke theSix-State Alliance.

Li Si (280-208 BC)Served as Qin Dynasty’s firstprime mininster and wasresponsible for unifying theChinese script.


Jing Ke (?-227 BC)Attempted toassassinate QinShihuang on behalf ofPrince Dan of Yan.

Zhao Gao (?-207 BC)Collaborated with primeminister Li Si to tamper QinShihuang’s will and putHuhai (The SecondEmperor) on the throne. Helater schemed to have Li Siframed and executed sothat he could be the primeminister. His incompetenceled to the downfall of theQin Dynasty.

Zhang Liang(?-186 BC)Born of aristocraticfamily in the state ofHan. He had plotted tokill Qin Shihuang.

Xu Fu (dates unknown)An alchemist whom QinShihuang sent to look forthe ‘immortals’ and the elixirof eternal life.

Liu Bang (256-195 BC)Started out as a minor district official. Heled a successful revolt against the QinDynasty and defeated Xiang Yu in thestruggle to take over the throne. Establishedthe Han Dynasty as Emperor Gaozu.

Xiang Yu (232-202 BC)Led a revolt under the banner of Chuand, after defeating the Qin Dynastyimperial army in the Battle of Julu,declared himself “Overlord of WesternChu”. He later fought against former allyLiu Bang in a battle for the vacant throneand committed suicide after enduringa crushing defeat.

Chen Sheng(?-208 BC)Along with Wu Guang,he was one of theleaders of the DazeVillage Uprising. Hepaid with his life but theuprising sparked a tideof revolt that ended theQin rule.


Contents

1 Origins of Qin 1

2 Qin Rises in the West 11

3 Forging Ahead Through Reform 27

4 Alliances and Counter-Alliances 41

5 Ying Zheng Ascends the Throne 57

6 Conquering the Six States 71

7 Establishment of the Qin Dynasty 89

8 Death of the First Emperor 109

9 Reign of Chaos 125

10 The Downfall of Qin 139

Appendix 1: “Eighth Wonder of the World” - The Terracotta Army 151

Appendix 2: List of Qin rulers 156

Appendix 3: List of important events during Qin rule 157

Appendix 4: Petition Against Driving Away Outsiders 159

Appendix 5: Glossary of Characters 160


The Qin Dynasty is practically synonymous with QinShihuang, the First Emperor of China. However, the QinDynasty took root way before he appeared on the scene.

This narrative introduces to you the numerous personalitieswho helped build up Qin, and reveals how the Qin Dynasty

was born of the efforts of many generations.

Our story begins with the Spring and Autumn Period, whentribes were caught up in an endless cycle of wars in a bid for

supremacy. In the end, the largest tribe conquered othersand became the supreme ruler of the land...


1

Origins of QinChapter 1

Zhuan Xu, the grandson of the YellowEmperor, had a descendant named Nü Xiu.She became pregnant when she swalloweda swallow’s egg, giving birth to a childnamed Da Ye. Da Ye’s son, Da Fei, mademany important contributions such ashelping the legendary ruler Shun to trainbirds and animals, and assisting Yu the Greatto control the waters of the Yellow River.Shun bestowed land to Da Fei and gave himthe surname ‘Ying’. Da Fei had two sons—Da Lian and Ruo Mu.

The ancestor of the Chinese people— Huangdi

First Ancestor of the Qin People — Da Fei

The surname of the Qin people was ‘Ying’ and the first ancestor withthis surname was Da Fei. Da Fei was better known in history as Bo Yi. Itwas believed that Emperor Shun initially had the intention of passing thethrone to Bo Yi. However, Bo Yi gave up the throne to Qi, the son ofYu, and retreated to Mount Ji. Another saying was that Bo Yi and Qi gotinto a fight over the throne and the former was killed by the latter.

According to traditional accounts, Bo Yi was knowledgeable and evenlearned to communicate with birds. He was said to have invented thetechnique of digging wells and the Chinese later worshipped him as theGod of Wells. It was believed that the famous Chinese ancient bookClassic of the Mountains and Seas (a book full of legends on thegeography of China) was authored by Bo Yi. When Bo Yi followed Yuto control the waters, he recorded the surrounding landscape, plants,animals, strange encounters and beliefs that he had seen and experienced.These records were later incorporated into the book.

chapter 1 new.pmd 2/9/11, 4:30 PM1

2

Ji Fa, son of Duke Xibo*, launched a military expedition against the palace. Thetwo armies were pitted against each other. As King Zhou had lost popular support,his troops turned against him. Only Fei Lian and his son E Lai continued to fight forhim till they had lost all their soldiers.

E Lai

Fei Lian

* Duke Xibo, who later became King Wen of Zhou, was the leader of the Zhou state at the endof the Shang Dynasty. He was known for his benevolence, and was well-liked by the people.

King Zhou of the ShangDynasty (1600-1100 BC) wascruel and despotic. Zhong Yu,a descendant of Da Lian, hada son named Fei Lian and agrandson named E Lai. Thelatter two served the king.


3

Fei Lian, my masteris reluctant to kill aloyal and brave manlike you. Why don’tyou surrender?

Ji Fa gathered amob against themonarch, violatingthe moral code ofobedience tothe monarch.

YourMajesty, since Ican’t defeat the

rebels, I can onlyoffer my life

to you.

After the enemy took the capital,King Zhou and his concubinesburnt themselves to death.

E Lai was killed in battle.


4

A new power arose,marking the reign ofthe Zhou Dynasty. JiFa became King Wuof Zhou.

Fei Lian’s youngest son, Ji Sheng ,became a slave and eked out a living bybreeding horses for the people of Zhou.

Several generations later, JiSheng’s descendantsbecame expert horsebreeders for the royal family.

As abenevolent ruler,I am not going tokill the followersof Shang. I willtreat them withrespect and usethose with talent.

Zao Fu, a descendant of JiSheng, earned the trust of KingMu of Zhou with his hard workand loyalty. He was appointed animperial guard and driver of theimperial carriage.

One day, King Mu was on an inspection tour inthe western territories...

The Duke of Xu hasrevolted with other statesand has taken the east

gate of the capital.They’re advancing

towards the palace.


5

Zao Fu, you’vedone well. I confer

on you the city ofZhao. From now on,

your surname willbe changed to Zhao.

King Mu of Zhou

Feizi, an expert horse breeder, raised alarge number of fine horses and won theappreciation of the King Xiao of Zhou.

I’ve heard of yourreputation as a

good horsebreeder. It’s well

deserved.

Thank you,Your Majesty.

The stable, however,is too small as thenumber of horses

has increased.

With his superb driving skills, Zao Fumanaged to drive thousands of miles ina short time. King Mu was able to hurryback to the city to suppress the rebellionand restore peace.

Feizi, a descendantof E Lai, went toserve under Zao Fuand also changedhis surname toZhao. Zao Fu puthim in charge ofbreeding horses.


6

Feizi was granted the land of Qin and resumed his former surname Ying. He thusbegan his life in the west and developed the land.

The Ying family gradually established a firm foothold in western China. Whileaccepting the bestowal of land, they also undertook the responsibility of guardingthe western frontier.

All the land has beengranted to the dukesand princes. Wherecan I find land for alarger stable?

Your Majesty, inthe west is a placecalled Qin. Nobodywants it as it is ofteninvaded by the Xirong*people. Why not turn itinto pastureland?

Feizi is from a familyof brave warriors. Lethim raise horses and

guard the border!

That’s agood idea!

At a later time, King Xuan of Zhou appointed Qin Zhong, a senior official ( da fu)and a leader of the Qin people, to fight against the Xirong. When he died in battle,his five sons continued to fight the Xirong until the latter was defeated. As a reward,King Xuan bestowed the title of da fu on Qin Zhong’s eldest son Zhuang and gavehim the land at Quanqiu.

* Consisting of local minority tribes.


written by lim s k illustrated by ren changhong translated ... · written by lim s k illustrated by...

Documents