Foreign Relations of Imperial China - Qin Dynasty

Qin Dynasty

Although many kings of the Shang and Zhou dynasties ruled beforehand, in 221 BC, the ruler of the State of Qin, Qin Shi Huang, was the first to conquer the different nations of the Zhou Confederation, as well as other non-sinicized states. He was able to transform these different states into a relatively unified and uniform empire, the Qin Dynasty. Under his leadership and a society modelled around strict adherence to the Legalist philosophy, his once backwater western frontier state conquered all of the rivaling Warring States in ancient China. The Chinese domain was also extended into Inner Mongolia and Manchuria to the north, and with naval expeditions sent to the south, the indigenous Baiyue of modern-day Guangdong and northern Vietnam (the latter called Jiaozhi, and then Annam during the Tang Dynasty) were also quelled and brought under Chinese rule.