Dates That Made History
Historian Patrick Boucheron revisits the most important dates in history through the prisms of memory and collective imagination.
15. 221 BC - Founding of the Chinese Empire
0.0Oct 26, 2025 · 27 min
In 221 BC, the king of Qin, a small state on the western edge of China, defeated the Warring States period and unified the Chinese Empire. Tradition has made this first emperor the founder of a political system that presents itself as immutable. But when did this date come into being? Since when has 221 BC been considered the year zero of imperial China?