He ordered （命令mìng ling） everyone to use the same coins （硬币yìng bì） , weights and measures （计量制jì liàng zhì）, and a common written language （文字wén zì）. Hard-working （努力nǔ lì） and disciplined （遵守纪律zūn shǒu jì lǜ） , he read 55 kilograms （公斤gōng jīn） (120 pounds 磅) of reports (报告bào gào) written on bamboo (竹zhú) slips（帛 bó） every day…Keep Reading

The First Emperor (秦 始 皇qín shǐ huáng) was a tyrant (暴 君bào jūn) but also a genius (奇 才qí cái). Besides his tomb (坟 墓fén mù), he built the Great Wall (长墙cháng qiáng) and 6500 kilometres (公 里gōng lǐ )(4000 miles 英 里) of highways (公 路gōng lù), as well as canals (运 河yùn hé), bridges (桥 梁qiáo liáng) and palaces (皇 宫huáng gōng).
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By the time he was 38 (三十八sān shí bā) years old (岁suì), his country of Qin 秦 had defeated (打 败 dǎ bài) the six other states and unified (统 一 tǒng yī) the country (国 家guó jiā). He gave himself the title (自 封zì fēng) of First Emperor of All China (秦 始 皇qín shǐ huáng). (The English <英 文yīng wén> name <名 子míng zǐ> ʻChinaʼ probably <大 概dà gài> came from the word Qin 秦qín.) …Keep Reading

As soon as he became King (国 王guó wáng), he transported (运 输 yùn shū) 700000 (seven hundred thousand 七 十 万 qī shí wàn ) men from all over China to construct a tomb for him just outside his capital city (首 都 shǒu dū ) (close to 靠 近 kào jìn Xian 西 安xī ān ). He really wanted to live forever and searched (搜 寻sōu xún ) for an elixir of immortality (仙 方xiān fāng), but a grand tomb was the next best thing. The project (工 程 gōng chéng ) continued until he died 36 years later…Keep Reading