221 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
Qin Shi Huang Unifies China
On the timeline · around 221 BCE · The First Empires: Qin & Han
What happened
In 221 BCE the king of Qin completed the conquest of the rival Warring States and declared himself Qin Shi Huang, 'First Emperor.' He standardized writing, coinage, and measurements, linked earlier defensive walls into an early Great Wall, and was buried with an army of over 7,000 life-size terracotta soldiers, discovered in 1974.
Why it matters
Qin Shi Huang created the first unified Chinese empire and the model of centralized imperial rule that would govern China until 1912.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Terracotta Army · Reputable source