1.2 The Collapse of the Qin Dynasty

The collapse of Qin was a conglomeration of a series of dramatic events. The First Emperor, who was both revered and feared by his subjects and survived many assassination attempts, unexpectedly died when inspecting the eastern region in 210 B.C. Then, a group of desperate peasants led by Chen Sheng（陳勝, d.208 B.C.）and Wu Guang（吳廣, d.208 B.C.）rebelled against the dynasty. Suddenly, this powerful machine of efficient bureaucracy and a formidable military stopped functioning. After losing one battle after another, the Qin Dynasty collapsed. The whole process is traditionally divided into two phrases：

The Discovery：In 1974, when a local farmer was digging a well approximately 1. 5 kilometers to the east of the First Emperor’s mausoleum, terracotta warriors were incidentally discovered.

Terracotta Warrior Formation, Qin Dynasty, Preserved in Terracotta Warrior Museum, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

Historical Context：In ancient times, when nobles died, many humans were killed for sacrifice. For instance, in the funeral for the Duke Mu of Qin（d.621 B.C.），177 humans were sacrificed. Later on, the practice was abandoned, and pottery figurines were used to replace human sacrifices.

1.2.1　The Dramatic Struggle Between the Anti-Qin Collision and the Qin（209 B.C.-206 B.C.）

The milieu was very chaotic. Many different groups of rebel forces across China formed a very loose anti-Qin collision. They defeated the Qin military and overtook the capital Xianyang in 206 B.C. This event announced the end of the Qin. The most powerful general among those rebel forces, Xiang Yu（項羽，232 B.C.—202 B.C.）, who was from a noble family of the former Chu state, temporarily became the hegemon, and he enfeoffed 18 kings to govern China.

Terracotta Warrior, Qin Dynasty, Preserved in Terracotta Warrior Museum, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

However, the peace was very short-lived. Deadly conflicts soon broke out among the various kings, who once fought side-by-side to overthrow the Qin Dynasty. Then, Xiang Yu and his rival Liu Bang（劉邦）, who was of a very humble origin but gained respect from his peers due to his capacity and personality, formed their respective alliances to engage in a duel. The duel lasted for four years and became an epic in Chinese history.

1.2.2　Liu Bang vs. Xiang Yu

Initially, Xiang Yu had the upper hand because he was stronger in many aspects. For example, during the famous banquet at Hongmen, Liu Bang almost was murdered by Xiang Yu. Nevertheless, Liu Bang’s camp rapidly grew due to his shrewd strategy and open-mindedness, whereas Xiang Yu’s camp shrunk day by day due to his arrogance and misjudgment of the situation. The two sides negotiated an agreement, dividing China by the Honggou Canal in 203 B.C. However, the truce was temporary. Soon, Liu Bang launched campaigns to attack Xiang Yu. After losing the decisive battle at Gaixia in 202 B.C., Xiang Yu committed suicide. Liu Bang became the new emperor, and a new dynasty arose in China.