the Qin state was a ‘barbarian’ kingdom on the edge of mainstream civilisation and was seen by its neighbours as a ‘land of wolves and jackals’. But in the 240s BCE, under their leader King Zhang, they burst onto the stage of history, ended Zhou rule and unified China. Zhang then became the First Emperor. Though they only ruled all China for fifteen years, the Qin were the superpower that changed the story of China for ever, leaving structures of governance and contours of thought that still exist today.
