In the long history of China, the Warring States period was a time of collapse and earth shattering. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty disintegrated, with numerous warlords competing for power and constant wars. The annexation of feudal lords and the exploitation of the fittest often put various countries at a critical juncture of life and death. The strong were not always the strong, and the weak could also become strong through effective reforms. The rise of the State of Qin was particularly unexpected, as it was a miracle of a country’s transformation from weakness to strength. In 221 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ended the chaotic situation of centuries of feudal rule and established the first unified centralized power in Chinese history. Since then, China has stood tall in the east of the world as a long-term integrated political entity. Even today, people are still curious about the rise of the Qin state, and what made it achieve a stunning reversal from a barbaric small country to an invincible strong country.
In the late 9th century BC, the head of the Ying clan, Feizi, was highly valued by King Xiaowang of Zhou for his expertise in raising horses. He was appointed as a vassal and built a city in the upper reaches of the Wei River in southeastern Gansu, China. From then on, he became known as Qin.
In 770 BC, Duke Xiang of Qin was granted the title of marquis for his meritorious service in escorting King Ping of Zhou from Haojing to Luoyi, and was granted the land between Qishan and Fengshui in present-day Shaanxi. From then on, Qin officially became one of the marquises of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. However, King Ping of Zhou only gave Duke Xiang of Qin an empty promise. At this time, the Thai fiefdom was actually under the control of the nomadic nation Xirong. Qin, after several generations of bloody battles, finally regained this land. Afterwards, under the siege of the Western Rong, the state of Qin struggled to seek survival and development. It was precisely this living environment that created the Qin people’s personality of valuing martial arts and bravery. The unique development history and closed and backward state of Qin made the Central Plains countries, which had always regarded civilization and civilization, not regard Qin as a similar country, but as a barbarian country for a long time.
Professor Zeng Zhenyu from the History Department of Shandong University: Because at that time, Qin was located on the western border and backward, and its founding time was about two centuries later than that of the Central Plains countries. It coexisted with the Western Rong. Therefore, during the Central Plains National League meetings, Qin was often not invited to participate, believing that Qin was a barbaric and backward country.
In the history of the state of Qin, Duke Mu of Qin was an important figure. He ascended the throne in 659 BC and was known for his knowledge of people and good performance. With the assistance of wise officials such as Bai Li Qian Shu, the state of Qin achieved a series of victories in diplomacy and military affairs against its powerful neighboring state of Jin in the east. For the first time, Duke Mu of Qin expanded his territory to the west of the Yellow River. He also successfully led the envoys of Western Rong from Yu to his command, resulting in a great defeat of Western Rong. However, the true strength of a country cannot be achieved solely by a powerful monarch. In order to completely break free from backwardness, the state of Qin needs advanced systems and laws. In the three hundred years after the death of Duke Mu of Qin, the state of Qin once fell into chaos, experiencing four generations of chaos: Duke Li, Duke Bi, Duke Jian, and Duke Chu, resulting in a decline in national strength. At this time, Chinese society was undergoing a drastic transformation, with various feudal states transforming from an early feudal system to a centralized bureaucratic system. In the late Spring and Autumn period, the three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei divided Jin, and the state of Jin was divided into three countries. Among them, the state of Wei was the first to implement reforms and develop agricultural production by Li Gui. On the basis of the laws of each country, China’s first written legal code, the Fajing, was formulated, which quickly promoted Wei to the most powerful feudal state.
However, the internal affairs of the state of Qin were riddled with wounds. Long term internal turmoil and a backward system led to agricultural decline, economic depression, and the struggle for monarchy caused discord between monarchs and officials. The chaotic governance of officials and procrastination seriously damaged the credibility of the country. Although the national style of Qin was fierce, the people were enthusiastic about private fights and unwilling to fight for the country. In the early 5th century BC, the state of Wei recaptured the land of Hexi from the state of Qin, which was not only a great shame for the Qin people, but also strengthened a strong sense of crisis. However, crisis may also become the greatest driving force. In 362 BC, the ambitious young monarch, Qin Xiaogong, ascended to the throne and swore to restore the homeland of Duke Mu, reclaim the land of Hexi, and change the situation where the feudal lords were inferior to Qin. To achieve these goals, Qin Xiaogong realized that it was necessary to change the chaotic and backward situation of Qin, otherwise there would be no way to survive. He urgently needed a visionary and capable talent who could comprehensively consider and implement effective reforms for Qin. So, Duke Xiaogong of Qin issued a decree of seeking talents and offered the most favorable treatment. If there were any guests or ministers who could use extraordinary strategies to strengthen Qin, I would respect them and divide the land between them. A young man in the state of Wei was naturally moved by this decree, and he was Shang Yang.
Shang Yang, formerly known as Gongsun Yang, came from the noble family of Wei State, so he was also known as Wei Yang. Later, he was called Shang Yang or Shang Jun because Duke Xiaogong of Qin granted him the land of Shang. Shang Yang had a fondness for the study of criminal names since childhood, and he came to the state of Wei, which was the earliest to implement reforms, to study the “Dharma Sutra” in the hope of achieving great success. However, things went against his wishes, and he did not receive the favor of Wei State. When Shang Yang heard Duke Xiaogong’s request for excellence, he resolutely brought the “Dharma Sutra” to Thailand. According to historical records, when Shang Yang met Duke Xiaogong, he first said that implementing benevolent governance and moralizing the people would require a solid foundation and the efforts of several generations. However, during the Warring States period of the jungle, the imperial and royal ways could only be utopian ideals. The pragmatic Duke Xiaogong was eager to achieve his ideal of becoming a strong country while in power, so he was not interested in the imperial and royal ways. In the end, Shang Yang talked about the art of building a strong country with hegemony as its core, which immediately attracted Duke Xiaogong’s attention. He involuntarily moved his knees forward and left his seat, speaking for several days without getting tired of what Shang Yang said. The art of building a strong country is reform, which means quickly embarking on the path of building a strong country by reforming the legal system. For Duke Xiaogong of Qin, Shang Yang depicted an inspiring blueprint for reform, which deeply impressed him. It was this rare understanding and tacit understanding between rulers and officials that led to the reform that laid the foundation for the unification of Qin.
Any reform will be questioned and obstructed by traditional ideas and conservative forces. Even before Shang Yang, Li Ju implemented reforms in the state of Wei and Wu Qi in the state of Chu. Although some results were achieved, they ultimately failed due to incomplete implementation. Although Shang Yang received full support from the Duke of Qin, it was equally difficult to fully implement reforms in the state of Qin. Before the reforms began, Shang Yang faced opposition and questioning from various conservative forces in the state of Qin.
Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Yang Zhenhong: At that time, Gan Long and Du Zhi were the two most important representatives of the old aristocracy. They firmly opposed the reform, and their proposition was that if you carried out the reform, it would definitely cause chaos in the world. Shang Yang strongly refuted this, believing that the three generations of holy kings were not bound by the past etiquette, but reached the realm of a king. Therefore, he believed that only foolish people would be bound by the past legal system, and only wise people were an open era, creating a state of system.
In the present land of Sanqin, a drama about Shang Yang’s Reform is about to appear on the stage. As a classic reserved drama, “Shang Yang’s Reform” has won many awards in the Qin Opera opera circle. Now, it has been five years since the last performance of this play, which seems to have become history like the reform of Shang Yang. However, screenwriter Wang Junwu and lead actor Liu Zhizheng want to adapt the script and move this play back out of the stage.
Wang Wujun, screenwriter of Shangyang Reform, the historical residence of Qin Opera: Of course, we advocate taking history as a mirror. These famous events in history, or in real life, have amazing similarities. Therefore, reflecting this spirit with the kind of historical stories of the Qin Dynasty has an enlightening and promoting effect on our reality.
Qin Opera Opera, one of the oldest operas of the Han nationality in China, originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty and matured in the Qin Dynasty. Today, the art known for its high and vigorous singing and its vigorous and rapid style is still popular in Shaanxi. However, it still faces considerable difficulties to re stage the Shangyang Reform. The biggest problem is that few people in the land of Sanqin are optimistic about the Shangyang Reform. In real history, the difficulties faced by Shangyang are even greater. After formulating the reform policy, Shangyang did not immediately announce it. He hopes to show his spirit in an ingenious way so as to quickly spread his legislative spirit to all parts of the country.
This is a seemingly small but significant and far-reaching event. Shang Yang ordered officials to erect a three zhang long piece of wood at the south gate of the market, announcing that whoever moved the wood to the north gate would receive a reward of 10 pounds of gold. The people couldn’t believe such a good thing. Shang Yang added the reward to 50 pounds, causing a sensation throughout the city. The people gathered around, and under the heavy reward, there must be a mediocre man. Finally, someone walked over and moved the wood to the north gate. Shang Yang immediately fulfilled his promise and used it to demonstrate the determination and credibility of the people to reform. It was like a small lever, prying up a huge reform machine. The grand reform drama is about to kick off.
The Shang Yang Reform lasted for more than ten years, covering various aspects such as politics, economy, law, society, and customs. This is the widely circulated “Book of the Lord of Shang”, which records the main content of the Shang Yang Reform. Shang Yang emphasized the rule of law and implemented the reward and punishment mechanism in all aspects of laws and regulations. In order to make the Qin State rapidly stronger, Shang Yang concentrated the power of the whole country on agriculture and military, implementing a strong strategy of combining agriculture and war. However, due to the miscellaneous content of the “Book of the Lord of Shang”, it is generally believed that this book was not written by Shang Yang, but rather a comprehensive work of Shang Yang’s followers and later Legalists. Some scholars even wrote “The Lord of Shang”. The book is considered a fake book.
After more than two thousand years of historical cleansing, apart from this “Book of the Lord of Shang”, the classics of the Shang Yang era have completely disappeared. For a long time, research on Shang Yang’s reforms by later generations has been difficult to make progress due to the lack of physical evidence.
Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province
This is the Shaanxi History Museum, as the birthplace of the Qin Dynasty, which houses a large number of cultural relics from the Qin Dynasty. However, it is impossible to find a single fragment that directly records the reforms of Shang Yang. Not only here, but throughout the long historical period of China, the original written records of Shang Yang’s reforms have disappeared.
These ancient vessels, despite their different shapes and materials from different eras, are all exquisitely crafted. They have a unified name “Jue”. Jue is an ancient drinking vessel shaped like a bird. When nobles worshipped ancestral temples, they offered fine wine and jue to their ancestors, which became exclusive items for the nobility and a symbol of status. They were used to arrange the high and low status of the nobility and scholars. Shang Yang transformed the original Jue system of the Qin state into twenty levels, and re established the principles of obtaining, elevating, and inheriting titles. The basic spirit was that those who did meritorious deeds would show glory, while those who did not do meritorious deeds, although rich, would not be favored. Therefore, military merit was the only basis for rewarding titles. Those who bravely kill enemies on the battlefield, regardless of their background as aristocratic scholars or farmers, can be granted titles based on the number of beheadings, and their titles will be reduced in defeat, When men reach adulthood, they can only inherit their father’s title by descending several levels. If they want to obtain the same title as their father, they must rely on military achievements.
Yang Zhenhong, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: One of the most core contents of the reform is actually a reform of the nobility system. He used this reform as the axis to spread his reform, transforming the nobility from a proprietary property of the nobility into a status that can also be obtained by the common people. This broke the very strict aristocratic society.
Although Jue gave us a direct impression, it is not direct evidence of Shang Yang’s reform. Historians are eagerly looking forward to finding the original written records of Shang Yang’s reform, which should have been recorded on the bamboo slips used at that time. However, these secret documents carrying the rise of Qin have not been found in the homeland of Qin at that time. However, since the 1970s, in the Chu region far away from Qin, there have been several shocking archaeological discoveries in the present-day Two Lakes region, which simply confirms the authenticity of the Book of Shang.
In 1983, in Zhangjiashan, Jiangling City, Hubei Province, the Jingzhou Museum discovered a large number of bamboo slips while sorting out three tombs from the early Western Han Dynasty. The legal document “Two Year Laws and Regulations” from the Lv Hou period in the early Western Han Dynasty was found in the Zhangjiashan Han slips, which included a complete legal document called “Ming Tian Zhai Law”. Although it was a law from the early Han Dynasty, its basic spirit can be determined by the Han’s inheritance of the Qin system, inherited from the Shang Yang Reform.
Before the Shang Yang Reform, the Qin State, like other countries, implemented a system of aristocratic land occupation. The feudal lords allocated land to farmers for cultivation on a household basis, rotating it regularly. Farmers had no rights to the land, greatly affecting their production enthusiasm. Shang Yang based his reforms on the twenty class noble system and implemented a system of named fields. Name means to classify land under one’s own name to indicate possession. According to the new law, commoners and above can occupy varying amounts of land according to their status, and land can be inherited to extend the land ownership rights to ordinary farmers. It is allowed to obtain limited land through land reclamation, transfer, and sale to solve the problem of insufficient land grant. According to the laws and regulations, public servants, soldiers, and commoners without titles can occupy one hectare of land and one house. The first level nobles of the 20th class can occupy 1.5 hectares of land and 1.5 houses. The higher the title, the more houses they can occupy. At the 19th level, the feudal lords of Guannei can occupy 95 hectares of land and 95 houses, which is 95 times that of ordinary commoners.
Shang Yang’s land system reform greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of farmers for production. The rapid development of agriculture made the prosperity of the Qin state no longer just talk on paper. In order to increase national income, Shang Yang began to levy household registration tax and forced the implementation of a small family system, stipulating that except for one son who inherited the family, all other sons must be separated and registered separately after marriage, otherwise double the household tax. Thus, the small family of five became the basic model of Chinese families.
Yang Zhenhong, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The Han Book and Food Magazine records a passage by the great Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu during the mid Western Han Dynasty. It is said that in the Qin Dynasty, it was not the case. Shang Yang changed the imperial system and then abolished the Jingli and opened up fields for the people to sell and buy. This indeed reflects that the Shang Yang Reform was a very epoch-making change, because Shang Yang’s land system reform allowed for land transactions, which is unprecedented.
If the foundation of a prosperous country is mainly reflected in agriculture, then Shang Yang’s path to becoming a strong country is reflected in military affairs. He adopted the strictest reward and punishment mechanism, and those who made military achievements each received a higher rank. If they did not make military achievements, the imperial family would also be deprived of their titles. In order to encourage the Qin people to work hard and fight bravely, Shang Yang formulated a cruel criminal law, and the people’s escape from the punishment of agricultural warfare was even more painful than that of agricultural warfare. In terms of rewards, Shang Yang suppressed all industries, so that the Qin people could only obtain the path of nobility in agriculture and warfare. The reform measures seriously weakened the existing interests of the Qin nobles, which immediately led to a strong backlash. Various methods were used to obstruct the reform and incite the people to cause trouble.
With the strong support of Duke Xiaogong of Qin, Shang Yang adhered to the belief of governing the country according to law and declared war on various forces who dared to challenge the authority of the legal system through strict laws and iron fisted measures against illegal activities. Due to their long-term coexistence with the military, the Qin people were brave and fierce, and private fights became a trend. Private fights disrupted social stability and caused serious internal friction. Shang Yang ordered the prohibition of private fights, and violators were punished according to the circumstances. However, the barbaric and vulgar habits of the Qin people over hundreds of years could not be changed overnight. Shang Yang faced strong resistance to the entire Qin society.
According to records, more than 700 prisoners were executed by Shang Yang on the Wei River in a single day. The Wei River was dyed red and the cries were deafening. This kind of law is difficult for the people to accept. Within a year of the implementation of the new law, thousands of opponents came to the capital to petition, forming a strong anti reform trend. Shang Yang told Duke Xiaogong that these people were all people who disrupted education and exiled them all to the border. Then, a major event that caused a sensation throughout the country occurred. This event became a touchstone for Shang Yang and Duke Xiaogong’s determination to reform the country. Prince Si, the son of Duke Xiaogong, violated the new law, and according to the new law, the crown prince should be punished with a tattoo on his cheek. In the past, there was a rule that the nobles were exempt from corporal punishment, but Shang Yang believed that the law was not effective and he committed it himself. Therefore, it must be dealt with in accordance with the law. Duke Xiaogong of Qin once again provided support. As the Crown Prince was the heir of the monarch and could not be punished himself, the two masters of the Crown Prince were respectively punished with the punishment of tattooing and nose cutting to punish their poor teaching. After several incidents, no one dared to easily discuss and violate the new law. The new law was successfully implemented throughout the country, and three years later, the results of the reform were initially evident. According to historical records, there was no trace of the road, no robbery in the mountains, sufficient family provisions, the people were brave in public war, afraid of private struggle, and the rural areas were under great rule.
Professor Zeng Zhenyu from the Department of History at Shandong University: Serious punishment for minor crimes, strict punishment for law, and governing the country with the law are just the first level of connotation of Shang Yang’s reform. The second level of connotation, I call it what Shang Yang said, is moral idealism. In Shang Yang’s own words, it means using punishment to get rid of punishment. The true high level of social civilization can only be achieved after the long-term legal system in this society. To this extent, even the people do not need the existence of officials, legal institutions, right or wrong, and everyone can exercise their own discretion.
Xianyang, located at the confluence of the Fengshui and Weishui rivers, is an important thoroughfare for controlling east-west transportation and controlling the destiny of the world. In the twelfth year of Duke Xiaogong’s reign, the capital of the country was relocated from Liyang in the upper reaches of the Wei River to Xianyang. Taking the relocation as an opportunity, the second reform was initiated. At this time, Shang Yang had been enfeoffed as a Daliangzao under one person and over ten thousand. He would further implement the reform and carry out comprehensive institutional reforms. The traditional system of enfeoffment was rapidly transitioning to a county system. Shang Yang organized the originally scattered natural settlements of small towns, towns, and communities together on a roughly equivalent scale, and established local administrative organization counties. A total of 31 counties were established nationwide, with county magistrates in charge of one county’s administration, county magistrates in charge of military affairs, and county system magistrates in charge of enfeoffment. The decentralized power under the system was highly concentrated in the center of the Qin state, which was conducive to the Qin power gathering all its forces together, thus standing out in the Warring States struggle. This kind of politics, even in the world at that time, could be considered a pioneering move, British historian Toynbee highly praised Shang Yang’s policy of promoting the county system and establishing a bureaucratic system, calling it a bureaucratic reform policy. He believed that this was the fundamental reason for Qin’s increasing national strength to ultimately defeat the warlords and establish a unified empire of China.
Professor Zang from the School of Social Sciences, Suzhou University ā From the perspective of historical influence, it laid the basic pattern and historical foundation of local administration in various dynasties. It not only established the administrative divisions of counties, including later provinces, but also laid the historical foundation of our current local administrative system. At the same time, in terms of population management and land management models, it also laid the foundation for future dynasties. The so-called laws of thousands of years are all the laws of Shang Yang and Qin.
In the following two years, Shang Yang carried out a series of standardization work necessary for establishing a centralized bureaucratic state. The first is to open fields and fields, which means expanding the area per acre. The original small acre system, which was 100 steps long and 1 step wide, was changed to a large acre system, which was 240 acres long, to adapt to the increasing agricultural productivity. The second is the initial taxation, which introduced a head tax. In addition, there is a very important measure, which is to unify measurement and balance.
The treasure of the Shanghai Museum is being taken out with great solemnity. It is a measuring instrument that dates back over two thousand years. On the left side of this measuring instrument is an inscription of Qin Xiaogong’s 18th year, and on the bottom is a unified decree of Qin Shihuang in the 26th year. A seemingly ordinary measuring instrument actually bears the handwriting of two important monarchs of Qin, indicating its great connection with the rise of Qin.
Zhou Ya, Director of the Bronze Ware Research Department at the Shanghai Museum: This is Shang Yang Fangsheng. It was a measuring vessel made by Shang Yang in the 18th year of King Xiao of Qin. It is mainly a vessel for measuring volume, and most importantly, it records a calculation method for this volume. Sixteen inches and one-fifth of an inch, this cubic inch is a volume. We know that Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the measurement system, and the measurement system he used was determined by Shang Yang.
Liye Town, Longshan County, Hunan Province
A shocking archaeological miracle has been discovered here, located in a remote Tujia town in Longshan County, Hunan Province. For thousands of years, the residents of this small town deep in the mountains have lived a peaceful life. However, in 2002, a shocking archaeological miracle was discovered here. In a well by the river in the ancient city, more than 30000 slips of the Qin Shi Huang era were unearthed, mainly containing administrative management documents before and after the unification of Qin. From this, we can understand how the government agencies of a small town operate strictly and effectively in accordance with the standardized system of Qin.
Nowadays, these bamboo slips that record local administrative documents of the Qin Dynasty are quietly placed in the Liye Qin Bamboo Slips Museum in Hunan. Director Peng Chenggang interacts with these exhibits every day. In his view, these bamboo slips are not just dull and perfunctory official documents. They are a model for the grassroots government and people of the Qin state to strictly follow the national system in their work and life. They truly and vividly reveal the secret of how the Qin state operates efficiently from the central to the local level.
Peng Chenggang, Director of the Liye Qin Bamboo Slips Museum in Hunan: This bamboo slip is very detailed about evaluating officials, because we are also implementing performance evaluation now. In the Qin Dynasty, there was already an evaluation system for officials. During the process of evaluating officials, if your work performance is not qualified, your salary will be downgraded by the end of the year. If you are evaluated and evaluated for excellence, all benefits, including salary, food, and family benefits, will be correspondingly increased. This Jian is also very interesting. We need to take a plane now, not sometimes holding an ID card. We need to check your appearance, but more than two thousand years ago during the Qin Dynasty, it also had records in this regard. This Jian is a clearance certificate, and it has records about your skin color, height, gender, and title.
The standardized system has enabled the efficient operation of the bureaucratic mechanism in the state of Qin, and a highly centralized power is emerging, relying on the institutional laws and regulations formulated by Shang Yang. The state of Qin, from local officials to ordinary people, runs tightly and precisely like gears in the entire national machinery, leading this chariot to rumble and start. At this time, the state of Qin was already a state of war, and quickly became the most powerful warrior in the Warring States period. In the eighth year of Duke Xiaogong’s reign, Shang Yang personally led the Qin army to attack the state of Wei and achieved a complete victory, beheading 7000. In the tenth year of Duke Xiaogong’s reign, Shang Yang led his army to attack the state of Wei again and achieved victory. In the twenty-first year of Duke Xiaogong’s reign, the states of Qi and Wei engaged in war in Maling, and Wei’s 100000 army was destroyed. General Pang Juan committed suicide, and Crown Prince Shen was captured. This was the best time for Shang Yang to wait for more than twenty years, and it was also the best time for Qin to wash away its shame and compete for dominance in the world after being seized by Wei for forty years in the Hexi region. Shang Yang immediately suggested to Duke Xiaogong of Qin that Qin and Wei were at odds. If Wei did not merge with Qin, Qin would merge with Wei. At this time, when attacking Wei, Wei would inevitably be powerless to resist and migrate eastward. Qin could occupy the natural danger of the Yellow River and move eastward to control the feudal lords. Duke Xiaogong of Qin immediately followed the suggestion and sent Shang Yang to lead his army to attack, defeating the Wei army in one fell swoop. From then on, Wei fell from grace. King Wei Hui was worried about another attack from the Qin state and was forced to cede the land of Hexi to the Qin state. About a hundred years later, the famous philosopher Xunzi evaluated the combat effectiveness of the armies of Qi, Wei, and Qin, saying that Qi’s technical attacks could not meet Wei’s soldiers, and Wei’s soldiers could not meet Qin’s sharp warriors. The creation of such a brave and unstoppable army was a reward that was generous and trustworthy, and the punishment was heavy and required Shang Yang’s new method.
Professor Li Kaiyuan from Japan’s Jushi University: The Qin state is victorious in every battle, and the six states have no way to resist because the Qin army has a very advanced military system, conscription system, including its weapon system. The transformation of Shang Yang, from our current perspective, is actually a comprehensive reform centered on military reform. Basically, all reform measures revolve around enhancing domestic military strength, but this military strength also requires economic support. But his focus is still on improving his competitiveness in the Warring States period.
After twenty years of difficult journey, Duke Xiaogong finally achieved his wish and regained the glory of Duke Mu of Qin. In the nineteenth year of Duke Xiaogong’s reign (343 BC), the Emperor of Zhou conferred the title of Bo (Ba) on Duke Xiaogong of Qin. The following year, various feudal states came to congratulate him, and Qin sent Crown Prince Si to lead the ninety-two kingdoms (tribes) of Rong and Di to meet with the Emperor of Zhou and hold a grand assembly of feudal lords. Qin Xiaogong also fulfilled his promise of seeking wisdom and granted the fifteen fiefs of Yu and Shang to Shang Yang. Shang Yang, who had failed to fulfill his ambitions in the state of Wei at that time, reached the pinnacle of his glorious life in Qin. However, at this time, a huge shadow full of killing opportunities was constantly approaching Shang Yang.
This is Sleeping Tiger Land in Yunmeng County, Hubei Province. In 1975, several farmers were digging drainage ditches when they discovered a huge tomb pit. This ancient tomb was rediscovered, filling a huge gap in Chinese archaeology. A large number of bamboo slips with written words were found in the tomb pit, mainly containing legal documents. It not only proves that the surviving literature on Shang Yang’s “Law Jing” is the blueprint, but also shows that Shang Yang formulated six articles on theft, theft, imprisonment, arrest, miscellaneous, and possession for the Qin state. In addition to the six articles, Shang Yang also formulated many laws on administration and civil law. Through legislation, Shang Yang established a new type of centralization for the Qin state. The basic framework of a bureaucratic state, in the legal system established by Shang Yang, is the most distinctive and widely criticized system of accusation and joint sitting. If one person violates the law, their relatives, neighbors, and superiors and subordinates must report and expose it, Otherwise, they would be punished together. Therefore, they established a system of five families and ten families.
Although the reform of Shang Yang quickly strengthened the state of Qin, his iron blooded rule also filled the state with a sense of terror. The old nobles who were deprived of power and subjected to torture hated Shang Yang to the bone, constantly waiting for the opportunity for revenge.
In 338 BC, Duke Xiaogong died of old age and illness. Crown Prince Si ascended to the throne and became known as King Huiwen. As soon as King Huiwen ascended to the throne, a group of anti Shang forces quickly gathered around him, led by the crown prince’s master, Gongzi Qian, who had his nose cut off. They swore to be sworn against Shang Yang and named him Shang Yang for rebellion. King Huiwen ordered the arrest of Shang Yang.
Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Yang Zhenhong: At that time, Shang Yang began to flee. When he escaped to the gates, he wanted to stay overnight. However, the shopkeeper asked him to bring out his talisman seal, which was a document that could indicate his identity. If he didn’t have it, the shopkeeper dared not take him in. He said that if Shang Jun had orders, if you wanted to have overnight guests, you must have a talisman seal (document). If you didn’t have it, I wouldn’t dare to keep you, otherwise I would definitely be sentenced to punishment, and my family would sit together. So Shang Jun was very emotional at that time, saying that I didn’t expect the law I made myself to fall into such a situation.
Not long after, Shang Yang was killed by the Qin army on his way to escape. King Huiwen ordered his body to be transported to Xianyang for the most brutal punishment, with a broken carriage, equivalent to what later generations would call a five horse dismemberment. However, although King Huiwen hated Shang Yang and put him to death, he realized soberly that Shang Yang could die, and his laws could not be abolished. The new laws not only helped Qin break away from its backward appearance, move towards prosperity and strength, and become an efficient and centralized country, but also became the basic guarantee for stable development and the achievement of eternal foundation of Qin.
Most of the reform measures taken by Shang Yang were not initiated by Shang Yang, but were heavily borrowed from the experiences of various Eastern countries, especially the Wei state. For example, Li Qi was the first to implement the reform in the Wei state, using all his strength to educate, develop agriculture, and establish the rule of law. When Wu Qi implemented the new policy in the Chu state, the descendants of feudal lords were granted titles and salaries for three generations, abolishing the system of imperial and hereditary salaries. Han, Zhao, and Wei began to expand their land area as early as the late Spring and Autumn period when they were still officials of Jin. So, what was the reason why Shang Yang’s reform stood out and achieved great success in the Warring States period reform.
Professor Li Kaiyuan from Jushi University in Japan: Qin State was relatively backward, and when it was backward, it lacked a complete system, which was very imperfect. At this time, Shang Yang brought a relatively civilized new system, and he was willing to accept it. Xiaogong was a very strong monarch with a strong desire for reform, and he reigned for a long time. Therefore, he was able to support Shang Yang and carry out the two reforms to the end.
Researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Yang Zhenhong: Many people evaluate Shang Yang as a ruthless person, but if he were to govern the country, he would actually be selfless. Therefore, even if Shang Yang himself was criticized and received some negative evaluations, the system itself was indeed effective. Therefore, from the perspective of national system construction and legal system construction, this should be said to be a fundamental and foundational aspect of the two thousand year system.
In 221 BC, one hundred and thirty-eight years after the reform of Shang Yang, with the Qin law created by Shang Yang and the powerful Qin army cultivated by Shang Yang, Qin Shi Huang completed the great feat of pacifying feudal lords and unifying China, opening a new page in Chinese history.
Duration of 90 seconds: Eternal Emperor
In 259 BC, in the first lunar month of the Chinese lunar calendar, there was a male infant who did not have outstanding appearance. Born in Handan, the state of Zhao, he was the founder of the first unified dynasty in Chinese history. Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, inherited the throne at the age of 13. At the age of 22, he held an adult coronation ceremony in the ancient capital of Yongcheng. From then on, he officially cleared the court and began a magnificent political career throughout his life. At the age of 38, he sent troops and defeated the last feudal state among the six Eastern states, captured the King of Qi, and completed the historic mission of unifying China. Subsequently, he seized the opportunity to formulate and promulgate a series of laws and measures conducive to unity, gradually establishing and improving the first unified political power in history. However, in 210 BC, he passed away his brief life on his expedition. At the age of 49, the Qin Dynasty only existed for a short 15 years before collapsing in the eyes of Westerners. It was widely known as Napoleon and Caesar the Great of China. However, in the history books of the East, he is a true tyrant and has been criticized for eternity.