Ten Crimes of Qin

Confucian historians condemned the emperor Qin Shi Huang in the Ten Crimes of Qin, a list that was compiled to highlight his tyrannical actions. The famous Han poet and statesman Jia Yi concluded his essay The Faults of Qin (zh:过秦论) with what was to become the standard Confucian judgment of the reasons for Qin's collapse. Jia Yi's essay, admired as a masterpiece of rhetoric and reasoning, was copied into two great Han histories and has had a far-reaching influence on Chinese political thought as a classic illustration of Confucian theory. He explained the ultimate weakness of Qin as a result of its ruler's ruthless pursuit of power, the precise factor which had made it so powerful; for as Confucius had taught, the strength of a government ultimately is based on the support of the people and virtuous conduct of the ruler. ^[1]

References

↑ William Thedore de Bary, ed. Sources of Chinese Tradition (New York: Columbia University Press, 1st ed. 1960) pp. 228-231

Qin dynasty topics

History	Qin's wars of unification Qin's campaign against the Xiongnu Qin's campaign against the Yue tribes Burning of books and burying of scholars Dazexiang Uprising Battle of Julu

See also	Xianyang Epang Palace He Shi Bi Terracotta Army Twelve Metal Colossi Shuihudi Qin bamboo texts Ten Crimes of Qin The First Emperor

Xia → Shang → Zhou → Qin → Han → 3 Kingdoms → Jìn / 16 Kingdoms → N. & S. Dynasties → Sui → Tang → 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms → Liao / Song / W. Xia / Jīn → Yuan → Ming → Qing → Modern China

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