The First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty

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By that time Ying Zheng who had ruled the State of Qin for 25 years was not satisfied with the title of “king”any more. Chancellor Wang Wan and Minister of Justice Li si suggested that a title of “Taihuang”should be adopted, as Taihuang, namely Fu Xi, was the highest among the “Three AugustOnes.”However, Ying Zheng claimed that whilst having the virtue of the “Three August Ones,”he had made more laudable achievements than the “Five Lords.”Therefore, he should be called the “First Emperor,”and his descendants the second, the third … for ever and ever.

Emperor

The Bureaucracy of the Qin Dynasty

Since then until the downfall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the “emperor”became a title for all supreme rulers of various feudal regimes over a period of more than 2,000 years.

Ying Zheng also took measures to further deify himself.

First of all, he forbade his son and court officials to appraise his achievements after his death by abolishing the traditional practice of bestowing a posthumous title on a ruler, which had been accepted since the Zhou Dynasty.

Secondly, he called himself “zhen”(meaning “I, the sovereign”),a form of self-address adopted by all the emperors of the later ages.

Thirdly, he coined the words of “zhao”and “zhi”to exclusively refer to the orders issued by the emperor.

Fourthly, he laid down strict rules that the emperor’s personal name must be avoided in all books and documents as taboo.

Lastly, he forcibly stipulated that only the emperor could use a jade seal, which was called “xi,”though prior to the Qin Dynasty jade or metal seals had been very popular among the ordinary people.