Huangdi was not the kindest ruler, he had harsh laws and didn't care that much for his subjects welfare. There was a reason for this though. Many people in China then were not happy with being conquered by the Qin state. The result was a group of rebels. To keep his country in order Shi Huangdi had to build the great wall to keep his subjects from leaving and all books besides ones related to agriculture were burned. I'm not sure I agree with his tactics, but he sure did have a hard job.
What a jerk. Why burn books? You could just keep them in your palace. He must have been a follower of legalism. good job on research.
ReplyDelete