Qin Shih Huang di was the first emperor of China. King Zhen of the Qin state defeated the other six warring states quickly and cruelly. King Zhen took the name of Qin Shih Huang di, and became the first emperor of China. He ruled for 11 years, and achieved astonishing things.
He ruled with the aid of a powerful army and loyal officials. He laid down standards for writing, money, weights and measures, clothes, and even hairstyles. Hundreds of thousands of labourers were forcibly put to work, to control the flow of rivers and to lay 6800 kilometres of roads. He constructed the beginnings of the Great Wall of China, and his huge tomb. Qin Shih Huang di burned a large portion of the ancient philosophical writings.