Gallery305
Exhibition nameRituals Cast in Brilliance: Masterpieces of Bronzes in the Museum Collection
Height: 6.2 cm, depth: 6.07 cm, length: 21.9 cm, rim diameter: 9.2x17.3 cm
Qin-shi-huang-di (The First Emperor of Imperial Qin) annexed the other six states and established one grand empire under the heaven. He called himself the First Emperor, replaced the antiquated feudal system with centralized governance, and standardized the written language as well as weights and measures.
The decree announcing the standard units was recorded on many standard devices made for the very purpose, as inscribed on the liang measure in the Museum collection, to the effect that in the 26th year of his reign (221 B.C.E.), the King of Qin consolidated all states, brought peace to all his subjects, and titled himself "Huang Di" (Imperial Emperor); having accomplished the above, the emperor asked his two prime ministers Wei Zhuang and Wang Wan to devise one single system bringing into consistency all that were discrepant or uncertain.