The Qin or Ch'in (likely origin of "China") existed during the Warring States Period and came to power as an imperial dynasty (221-206/207 B.C.) by unifying China under its first emperor, Shi Huangdi (Shih Huang-ti).
The Qin were militarily superior and used cavalry for the first time in China. The government of China was Legalist, a system that held the power of the state and its monarch's interests paramount. This policy led to a strain on the treasury and, ultimately, the end of the dynasty.
The Qin is described as a police state with the government holding absolute power. Private weapons were confiscated. Nobles were transported to the capital. The Qin standardized weights, measures, coinage -- the bronze round coin with a square hole in the center, writing, and chariot axle widths. The Great Wall (868 km) was built to keep out northern invaders. An army of 6000 terra cotta soldiers (or servants) was put in a tomb to protect (or serve) the dead emperor Shi Huangdi, who had ruled for 37 years.
Shi Huangdi's son replaced him, but was overthrown and replaced by the Han Dynasty in 206.
Sources: Minnesota State University Qin Dynasty
Sarah Milledge Nelson, Brian M. Fagan, Adam Kessler, Julie M. Segraves "China" The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Brian M. Fagan, ed., Oxford University Press 1996.
