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| | History |
 | | n 221 BC, King Yin Zheng of Qin conquered the last of the six feudal states and proclaimed himself Qin the First Emperor (Qin Shihuangdi). |
 | | With efficiency and ruthlessness, he instituted a centralized bureaucracy, a standard script, and one common law; he facilitated regional communication by building roads and canals; he promoted economic activities with standard currency, weights, measures, and uniform axle widths; and, for national defense, he built the Great Wall. |
 | | The succeeding Han dynasty, which was to endure almost 400 years, perpetuated Qin’s hierarchical system of government, developed an educated scholarly class to administer the bueaucracy, and, through successful military campaigns, greatly expanded Chinese territory. |
| www.sbmuseart.org /eternalchina/html/history.asp (273 words) |
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