For a great country, first of all, the mentality and spiritual outlook of its people, Qin's destruction of six kingdoms, and the perseverance of the Qin people all contributed to Qin's status as a world power.
Qin, Guofeng (Book of Songs):
How can it be said that there are no clothes? Be in the same robe as your son. The king raised his army and repaired my spear and spear. I share the same hatred with you!
How do you say you have no clothes? Tongze with Zi. The king raised his army and repaired my spear and halberd. Work together with me!
How do you say you have no clothes? Wear the same clothes as your son. The king raised his troops and repaired my armor. Go with me!
With such people, how could Qin not be strong?
In general, "empire" is a historical concept. It generally includes three basic criteria: first, unifying a vast territory (a small country does not have an empire); second, autocratic rule (a democracy does not have an empire); third, strong military expansion (an empire cannot exist without expansion). Qin's performance in these three aspects is extremely clear, and it can be regarded as a typical classical empire, rather than an ordinary dynasty.
As a large empire, Qin was slightly earlier than the Roman Empire in the West, but it was generally at the same time. In the primitive and rough iron farming era, the Qin Empire and the Western Roman Empire became the two suns hanging high in the sky of human history and the true source of Eastern and Western civilization. However, the historical destinies of the Qin Empire and the Roman Empire were completely different. There are two basic aspects that are particularly noteworthy here: First, the unified power of the Qin Empire existed for a very short period of time, only fifteen years; while the Roman Empire had a history of hundreds of years of power. Secondly, the entire set of national systems and civilization systems created by the Qin Empire laid the foundation of Chinese civilization and have been passed down continuously; the Roman Empire, which has a history of hundreds of years, has turned into countless broken empires in the changes of history. The splinters have never been able to establish a unified civilization of one continuous line.
It can be said that Liu Bang's Han Dynasty was built on the basis of the Qin Dynasty. Whether it was the legal system, the military system, or the governing thoughts of Confucianism and law, they were all deeply influenced by Qin. Qin is the most important dynasty in the history of Chinese civilization, linking tribal alliances to a unified empire. It has contributed more to Chinese history than any other dynasty in history, and has created the foundation of the Chinese nation today. Judging from its long-term influence in this regard, Qin It is also worthy of its status as a world power.
The comparison with the Roman Empire only shows that the Qin Empire was an Eastern empire with world significance and a great empire that created a complete set of immortal civilization systems. In the entire history of human civilization, such a large empire is unique.
First, let’s talk about that great era and the great spirit of the times.
The rise and fall of the Qin Empire for more than five hundred years (from the establishment of vassal states by Qin to the demise of the second empire) was the most free-spirited and dynamic golden age in Chinese history. In the words of that time, it was an era of drastic changes in which "rituals collapsed, music collapsed, cauldrons thundered, high banks turned into valleys, and deep valleys turned into mausoleums." In historicist terms, it was an era of great destruction, great creation, great decline, great rise and fall, and thus a great transformation in general. The transformation from bronze civilization to iron civilization, the transformation from a peasant aristocratic economy to a free peasant landlord economy, and the transformation from a federal state to a centrally ruled state enabled the Chinese nation to reach the ultimate state of agricultural civilization in that era.
This historical process of glorious transformation is the historical process of the rise and fall of the Qin Empire.
The spirit of the times fostered by the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was strong competition and strong survival. In the words of the time, it was "a time of great contention." The so-called great struggle means a comprehensive struggle, a thorough struggle, a long struggle, and a ruthless struggle. The combination of disputes of about three hundred years in the Spring and Autumn Period was like the spring water melting the ice on the river, breaking the suffocating isolation of the classical federal kingdom era. Iron tools appeared, commerce was active, the mine system was shaken, the authority of the emperor was weakened, and the new class of landlords and scholars emerged. The life status of the entire society has been greatly enlivened. As a result, the old system collapsed, the old culture was destroyed, the common slaves who were as humble as earthen jars became agitated like thunder, the high mountains collapsed, and the deep valleys unexpectedly rose into towering mountains! Entering the Warring States Period, this dispute finally evolved into a major battle, and a thorough competition for strong survival began. Those who are weak will perish, and those who fall behind will be beaten. This has become an iron-blooded reality with almost no buffer. Complete reform and complete renewal of oneself have become the urgent way of survival for every country. The resulting competition for talent has become fierce. The incompetent mediocre people were abandoned, the dim-witted kings were killed, the celebrities and talents became the treasures that the world was fighting for, and the wise kings and heroes became the most supported heroes. Famous generals emerge in large numbers, great talents come to the fore, and heroic masters emerge one after another. All branches of civilization of the Chinese nation are involved in this comprehensive and thorough competition! Economy, politics, military, culture, all fields of social life have collided with the most brilliant glory in this great struggle. The war was the largest in scale, the economic reform was the most thorough, the struggle for power was the cruelest, the cultural contention was the fiercest, the fate of the people was most closely linked to the fate of the country, the most miracles were created, and the most great men emerged - all of these came later. It is unparalleled by the times, and even unimaginable.
The Qin Empire, which grew up in such historical soil, was the crystallization of the powerful forging of that great era.
The Qin Empire emerged from a world of iron-blooded competition among great powers. Its tolerance embodies the vigorous, simple, innovative and realistic spirit of that era.
She advocated the rule of law, carried out radical changes, worked hard to build, and unified government orders. After more than 160 years of unswerving efforts by six generations of leaders, she completed the greatest imperial revolution, established a powerful and unified empire, and created a new era. The Iron Civilization Age enabled China's agricultural civilization to complete a great historical transformation.
As a gathering of the spirit of the times, the Qin Empire most concentratedly reflected the strong survival spirit of the Chinese nation in that era. The reason why the entire civilization system of the Chinese nation can continue like a rushing river is that the strong survival tradition established during the Qin Empire played a decisive role.
This strong survival spirit can be summarized in six basic aspects: First, thorough and continuous reform and revolution, stimulating the strongest vitality of the people and the strongest strength of the country are the basis of survival. Second, implement the strategy of "strong rebound and limited expansion" against the impact of external barbaric nations and ignorant civilizations. Third, it is integrated and unified, domineering and majestic. Fourth, unify the structure of civilization carrier so that ethnic branches with different customs can unite under the same civilization carrier. Fifth, be inclusive and integrate different civilizations flowing in from the outside. Sixth, advocating the rule of law and implementing the rule of law by talents.
This basic spirit of strong survival has been consistently demonstrated in the historical development of Chinese civilization. Otherwise, it would be impossible for our country, which has a vast territory and a large population, to survive tenaciously in a unified civilization for thousands of years and become the only country in the world.
The Qin Empire is another black hole in Chinese history, a huge mystery of its rise and fall. She only had 15 years to live, and passed away like a meteor in a flash.
This huge historical gap and the dramatic fate of the empire hide countless magical stories and the joys and sorrows of great people and celebrities. They composed this historical symphony with their personal destinies, whether delicate, magnificent, righteous, evil, heroic, or mediocre. The social civilization framework woven by the empire and the cultural traditions it embodies still regulate our lives today and constitute a huge spiritual pillar for the Chinese nation.
Compared with the native civilization of the West, the Chinese native civilization created by the Qin Empire is more splendid and greater.
The ancient Greek civilization, which was roughly in sync with the Spring and Autumn Period of China, was gentle, fragile and delicate. Although it is open and colorful, it lacks a strong tension and tenacious resistance. Therefore, it suddenly collapsed and perished in front of the sword and shield phalanx of the Roman legions. This is the inevitable tragedy of a nation where culture is better than quality. The vast Roman Empire was a rigid society made of iron horses, swords and shields. He did not learn from Greek civilization to integrate and transform himself, and his nation lacked a rich and profound native civilization. Therefore, he disintegrated silently amid the erosion of time. This is the inevitable tragedy of a nation where quality is better than culture.
This is not the case with the Great Qin Empire. She not only created a broad and profound civilization system, but also had strong life tension and extremely tough resistance. Harsh natural conditions, fierce internal integration, encroachment by barbarian tribes, invasion by powerful foreign enemies, ideological contests, and the infiltration of various cultures have all failed to shake her foundation. During the more than 400 years of the rise and fall of the Qin Empire, Chinese civilization has been refined and perfected, and has unparalleled independence and stability. The native civilization created during the Qin Empire allowed the Chinese to go through ups and downs for more than 2,000 years without losing their country and species.
We can proudly say that on this earth, only the native civilization created by the Chinese has continued to survive and develop on its own land until today!
This cannot be explained by "a vast land, abundant resources, and a large population".
Isn’t the Roman Empire big? Wasn't the Ottoman Empire big? Wasn’t the Byzantine Empire big? Isn’t Genghis Khan’s empire huge? One by one, they were annihilated into ashes and became a fleeting cloud. The ethnic groups on which these empires existed were also submerged and dissipated into various human ethnic groups - only the Chinese nation, with yellow skin, black hair, writing square characters, and speaking The country established by a monosyllabic race is always a country based on its original civilization.
We must also thank the Qin Empire, the creator of our great native civilization.
We must also be grateful for the fighting spirit and life tension contained in this native civilization.
This is not just about the Qin Empire’s foundational role in Chinese history. From the perspective of literature and art, what is more important is the storytelling of this era itself. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when China's original civilization was born, are the holy land in the hearts of the Chinese people. Politics, economy, military, science and technology, literature and art, law, philosophy, mystical culture - in all basic fields, that era created the highest classics of our nation and deservedly entered the human race. The highest palace of culture. In terms of the scale of the war alone, in the Changping War between Qin and Zhao, the total number of troops participating in the battle between the two sides exceeded one million. Qin annihilated the main force of Zhao's army of more than 500,000 (and killed 400,000)! The scale of such a war is still dazzling and insurmountable even in contemporary times. The various characters who created these miracles, as well as the twists and turns and difficulties of these events, all constitute a dramatic story that the writer cannot imagine out of thin air. Showing these characters, showing these stories, and showing those lamentable historical flesh and blood is the pride and mission of literature and art.
Before China’s Yuan Dynasty, China was the center of world civilization, and the Western world was the “peripheral civilization” at that time.
During the Qin Empire and the more than a thousand years that followed, China's prosperity and decline were always at the center of the world's trend, all of which had a profound impact and influence on other civilizations in the world.
These are the fundamental reasons why Qin became a world power.