DATE: Sunday, Sunday, March 20, 2011, 1:00 pm
SITE: St. Johns Hospital – Oakland: Education Center
27351 Dequindre Rd (West side); Madison Heights
(North of 11 Mile Rd • South of 12 Mile
Conveniently located North of I-696 and East of I-75)
Meeting Information: Patricia Beer @ (586) 558-9767
China's First Emperor:
Qin Shi Huang
FILM Begins at 1:45pm - 3hr duration
This film delves into the life of the self declared first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang. Derived from “The Grand Scribes Records and the Palace of The Sleeping Tiger" , it gives an intimate portrayal . I never expected to find rats in the royal palace, drawn by the chance of an easy meal, conditioned by fear. "Control the food and the fear and you control the rats", so said Li Si, the Machiavellian advisor to Ying Zheng the king of the western state of Qin. It was Ying Zheng who, through military prowess and a vision of a united empire, would destroy the feudal state system of the Zhou Dynasty (1027-221 B.C.) and replace it with a highly centralized, proto-totalitarian police state.
In 221 BC after conquering most of its neighboring states, Ying Zheng, the ruler of the Qin State, declared himself Qin Shihuangdi, the first Emperor of The Qin Dynasty. The word Qin in pronounced "chin" and is the source of the name China. Thus began the reign of the First Emperor of China, and the beginning of the Great Wall. Qin Shihuangdi began the construction of the Great Wall by connecting many of the existing border walls to protect the northern border of his kingdom from invasion. The construction continued for centuries and employed the work of millions. The wall not only provided incredible defense in the north of the country, but was a tremendous symbol of the emperor’s might.
The Terra Cotta army and soldiers discovered near Xian was the creation of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who was the first emperor of a unified China in the 200's BC. Qin Shi Huang lived from 259 to 210 BC, and reigned from 246 to 210 BC. He became king at age thirteen, and campaigned for 10 years from 230 to 221 BC to annex the other six independent states. During his reign, Qin Shi Huang standardized the currency, created a uniform law, standardized weights and measurements, and also designated the written language. During that time, he also connected all the walls built by the independent states to create the Great Wall of China. The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang was built in the third century, and covers over 56 square kilometers. It is fortified with gates, watch towers, and turrets. According to historical records, construction of the tomb took 36 years, and required the labor of 700,000 people.
Lauded for unifying China and infamous for oppressing its people, Chin Shi Huang Di, the nation's first emperor, still inspires a mixture of reverence and revulsion even centuries after his reign. The controversial leader made undeniable advances, including the mass production of weapons (through an early version of the assembly line), the standardization of currency, and inimitable military strategies that enabled him to expand the empire many times over. But does his re-shaping of the country's culture outweigh his systematic torture of the citizenry? This History Channel investigation explores the powerful tangles of light and darkness in Chin Shi Huang Di's lasting legacy.
Members and Guests are encouraged to bring Chinese artifacts to share with the group.
Join us at Mongolian Buffet, 12 Mile & Ryan, for dinner after the meeting
Visit our web site, type: Michigan Oriental Art Society .in your search engine