Qin Shi Huang, also known as Ying Zheng, was a renowned statesman, strategist, and reformer in Chinese history, as well as the first iron-fisted ruler to unify the Chinese realm. Born in Handan, the capital of the state of Zhao, he inherited the throne at thirteen and proclaimed himself emperor at thirty-nine. He reigned for thirty-seven years. The son of King Zhuangxiang of Qin, Qin Shi Huang lived from 259 to 210 BC. He was the first to unify China, ending the division of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and founding the Qin dynasty, the first centralized state in Chinese history.
