He was the only emperor through the ages and a controversial tyrant; he established the first unified dynasty, but he personally planted the seeds of the empire's collapse.
From the son of a stranger whose origins were a mystery to the young monarch who ascended the throne at the age of 13, Qin Shihuang's early years were full of unknowns and challenges. Under the shadow of the dictatorship of Lu Buwei and Lao Ai, he endured and lurked. Finally, after taking charge of the government at the age of 22, he used thunderous means to eradicate dissidents and began to monopolize power. After that, he used the strategy of "diplomating far away and attacking close", and after ten years of campaign, he swept across the six countries and completed the unprecedented unification.
After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, he implemented the system of prefectures and counties, unified written language, currency, weights and measures, and built the Great Wall and Chidao. Each of his actions profoundly affected the historical trend of China for more than two thousand years. However, in his later years, he fell into the absurdity of superstitious alchemy and pursuit of immortality. His act of "burning books and humiliating Confucian scholars" caused eternal controversy. After the Sand Dune Coup, Zhao Gao seized power and Qin II became tyrannical. This huge empire fell as quickly as a meteor.
