Literature of the Qin Dynasty

Under the Qin Dynasty, a unified system of Chinese writing was created, having a unification effect on the Chinese culture for thousands of years.

Learning Objective

Discuss the goals of literature produced during the Qin Dynasty

Key Points

Prime Minister Li Si standardized the writing system to be of uniform size and shape across the whole country, having a unification effect on the Chinese culture for thousands of years.
Li Si is credited with creating the "lesser-seal" style of calligraphy, also known as small seal script, which serves as a basis for the modern Chinese writing system and is still used in cards, posters, and advertising today.
In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang, the first Qin emperor, conquered all of the Chinese states and governed with a single philosophy known as legalism, which encouraged severe punishments, particularly when the emperor was disobeyed.
An attempt to purge all traces of the old dynasties and their philosophies led to the infamous burning of books and burying of scholars incident in 213 BCE, which has been criticized greatly by subsequent scholars.
In an attempt to consolidate power, Qin Shihuang ordered the burning of all books on non-legalist philosophical viewpoints and intellectual subjects; all scholars who refused to submit their books were ordered to be executed.

Terms

legalism
A philosophy of focusing on the text of written law to the exclusion of the intent of law, elevating strict adherence to law over justice, mercy, grace and common sense.
logographic
A writing system based on written characters that represents a word or phrase, such as Chinese characters, Japanese kanji, and some Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Full Text

Li Si and the Standardization of Writing

The written language of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) was logographic, as that of the Zhou had been; in other words, each written character represented a word or phrase, as opposed to letters of the English alphabet. As one of his most influential achievements in life, prime minister Li Si of the Qin Dynasty standardized the writing system to be of uniform size and shape across the whole country. This, in turn, would have a unification effect on the Chinese culture for thousands of years. Li Si is also credited with creating the "lesser-seal" style of calligraphy, also known as small seal script, which serves as a basis for the modern Chinese writing system and is still used in cards, posters, and advertising today.

Before the Qin conquest of the last six of the Warring States of Zhou China, local styles of characters evolved independently of one another for centuries, producing what are called the "Scripts of the Six States" or "Great Seal Script". Under one unified government however, the diversity was deemed undesirable as it hindered timely communication, trade, taxation, and transportation and as independent scripts might represent dissenting political ideas.

As a result, coaches, roads, currency, laws, weights, measures, and writing were systematically unified under the Qin. Characters which were different from those found in Qin were discarded, and Li Si's small seal characters became the standard for all regions within the empire. This policy came into effect around 220 BCE, the year after Qin's unification of the Chinese states, and was introduced by Li Si and two ministers.

Small Seal Script

Small seal script is an archaic form of Chinese calligraphy that was standardized and promulgated as a national standard by Li Si, prime minister under the Qin Dynasty.

The Burning of Books

Background

During the previous Warring States period, the Hundred Schools of Thought comprised many different philosophies proposed by Chinese scholars, including Confucianism. In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang, the first Qin emperor, conquered all of the Chinese states and governed with a single philosophy known as legalism. Legalism encouraged severe punishments, particularly when the emperor was disobeyed. Individuals' rights were devalued when they conflicted with the government's or the ruler's wishes, and merchants and scholars were considered unproductive and fit for elimination. During the dynasty, Confucianism—along with all other non-legalist philosophies—was suppressed by the First Emperor.

Consolidating Power

One of the more drastic measures employed to accomplish the eradication of the old schools of thought during the Qin Dynasty was the infamous burning of books and burying of scholars incident. This decree, passed in 213 BCE, almost single-handedly gave the Qin Dynasty a bad reputation among later scholars. Qin Shihuang, in an attempt to consolidate power, ordered the burning of all books on non-legalist philosophical viewpoints and intellectual subjects. All scholars who refused to submit their books were ordered to be executed. As a result, only texts considered productive by the legalists (largely discussing pragmatic subjects such as agriculture, divination, and medicine) were preserved.

Killing the Scholars and Burning the Books (18th century Chinese painting)

In 213 BCE, Qin Shihuang, attempting to consolidate power, ordered the burning of all books on non-legalist philosophical viewpoints and intellectual subjects. All scholars who refused to submit their books were ordered to be executed.

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