In one sentence, The past 300 years have been tumultuous ones for China. Indeed, this period of ancient Chinese history is traditionally known as the age of the “Warring States”. The competition between the states increased, and armies grew much larger, with professional generals, often of humble origin, commanding massed ranks of infantry and cavalry. The smaller states were swallowed up in the larger, until only six powerful kingdoms were left. Then, starting in the 250s BC, one of these states, Qin, conquered all the others, one by one. The rulers of the Qin dynasty were thus the first in China's history to rule a unified Chinese empire. The Qin ruthlessly imposed a rigid centralization upon the vast country. Their empire lasted barely
