Part II, Chapters 8-9 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 8 is called "The Great Han System." The Qin system created the first unified Chinese state, but the dynasty collapsed with the death of the emperor in 210 B.C. At first, under advice of his Confucian ministers, the Qin emperor had recreated the feudal system that extended power to lords and increased the power of the Confucians. The Legalist minister Li Si realized that this weakened the efforts to build a unified state and convinced the emperor to turn against the Confucians, burn the texts on which their philosophy was based, and implement strict laws. These laws were so strict that a series of uprisings spread across the country and when the emperor died the system collapsed.

Under the subsequent rule, a two-track organization was adopted with part of the country under the kind of...