Qin Dynasty

The movie Hero takes place during the time period of the Qin Dynasty. This Wikipedia page about the Qin Dynasty talks about this time period and the emperors that ruled. In the movie, Qin Shi Huang was the emperor shown. Qin Shi Huang was the first ruler during the Qin Dynasty, and the unification of China under Huang "marked the beginning of imperial China." An accomplishment the Qin achieved was when they built The Great Wall of China to fend of intruders and barbarians. After the downfall of the Qin Dynasty, and new dynasty came about, the Han Dynasty.

History of the Qin Dynasty

This link provides a detailed account of the first dynasty to rule China, the Qin Dynasty. The Qin also known as the Ch'in seems to be the formation of China. They were the first dynasty to take control primarily because of their advances in modern warfare, implementing the calvary and the military defense mechanism - The Great Wall. Besides being a brutal war machine and tyrannical dictatorship, the Qin were able to accomplish some amazing things for China such as the standardization of language and writing. The Qin have a rich history in China and have laid a partial foundation for the modern state of China.

The Qin Dynasty

I found this article from the website http://library.thinkquest.org/12255/library/dynasty/qin.html. This artcle provides a brief history of the Qin's second emperor.

"The emperor of this era wanted to conquer the warring states that the Chou dynasty had in essence created. This emperor succeeded and China was one nation once more."

Besides wanting to keep China one nation, this emperor wanted to become a god. Therefore, he sent for scientists to help him achieve this goal. Ironically, this action is what eventually lead to his demise because the medicine that he was given contained mercury. For more in-depth information, click on the link!

Enjoy!

Qin Dynsaty

The movie Hero takes place during the rule of the Qin Dynsaty. This website discusses the Qin dynasty and how Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China. He came to be known as a tyrant, but he also is acknowledged for unifying China. He unified the currency and the language, and started the Great Wall of China to prevent enemies from attacking in the North. It was a brutal time in a sense during the Qin dynasty because the emperor was so harsh on such issues and burned many books and killed many in the pursuit of unifying the warring states of China.

The Qin Dynasty

This is a link that explains the time period of which Hero took place. The Qin dynasty was during the Warring States period. The Qin dynasty united China for the first time, and it is said that Qin, sometimes called Ch'in, is where the name China originated from. The Qin was never able to satisfy everyone in its empire, which soon lead to its demise after the death of its first emperor Shi huangdi, who only ruled for 37 years. After his death, his son became the Second Emperor but was overthrown. This is where the Han dynasty began.

Qin Dynasty and the Warring States

I've linked to Historical about the Qin Dynasty and Warring States in China. This is the period which Hero takes place. I linked to wikipedia but because its information is still up for review I also liked to Britannica Encyclopedia (LINK BELOW). The Warring States Period was a time in China's history when the country was divided into six or seven smaller kingdoms all competing for leadership in China. In the Film Hero, there are assassins from these different kingdoms trying to kill the leader of the Qin Dynasty. Historically, it is the Qin Dynasty who unifies China in 221 B.C.

http://search.eb.com.proxy.cc.uic.edu/eb/article-9076139