- Qin Shi Huang was born as Ying Zheng in 259 BC.
- He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC. Prior to this, he had been Prince of Qin State. He took on that role aged only 13.
- He died in 210 BC, just shy of his 50th birthday.
- He undertook several large-scale projects, like the first version of the Great Wall of China, which was built to reduce the threat from the nomadic Xiongnu tribe of the north. He also ordered the construction of a canal that linked the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers.
- The emperor standarised Chinese units of measurement, such as weight and currency, which further served to bring the previously autonomous states of his empire together. He minted new copper coins and standarised Chinese script.
- Qin Shi Huang cracked down on philosophers and intellectuals who compared his reign with previous ones, or questioned his actions and motives. He ordered the burning of thousands of books. Some 460 scholars who defied the book burning ban were buried alive once the books were discovered. A further 700 were stoned to death for disagreeing with him.
- The emperor was incredibly fearful of dying, and took "immortality pills" in a bid to ward off the inevitable. He became obsessed with finding the elixir of life. His fear of death may have been why he commissioned the huge mausoleum.
