CHINESE  HISTORY  :  FIRST  PERIOD  7
officers  who  were  directly  responsible  to  himself  for  the  way
in  which  they  conducted  their  government.  The  extent
of  his  Empire  was  from  Chihli  in  the  north  to  the  Yangtze
River  in  the  south,  and  from  the  Yellow  Sea  on  the  east  to
Szechwan  on  the  west.  In  broad  outlines  the  government
of  China  at  the  present  day  is  similar  to  that  instituted  by
Tsin  Shih-hwang.
During  his  reign  an  attempt  was  made  to  destroy  the
classical  literature,  all  the  books  that  could  be  found  being
gathered  together  and  burnt.  On  account  of  this  highhanded ­
  measure,  his  name  has  ever  since  been  execrated
by  the  Chinese  scholars.  The  motive  prompting  him  to
such  a  course  was  his  desire  that  a  new  régime  should  begin
with  himself.  He  wished  to  obliterate  the  feudal  system
from  the  memory  of  his  people,  and  to  counteract  the
conservative  tendencies  fostered  by  the  teachings  of  the
classics.  The  attempt  was  only  partially  successful,  and
after  a  short  lapse  of  time  the  ancient  literature  was
restored  to  the  place  of  honor  it  has  held  ever  since.
It  was  also  during  his  reign  that  the  enormous  wall  on
the  northern  frontiers  of  the  Empire  was  greatly  extended.
It  stretches  now  from  120 0  to  ioo°  E.  longitude,  for
a  distance  of  over  1,500  miles,  and  is  one  of  the  most
astonishing  engineering  feats  accomplished  by  human
labor  during  antiquity.  Much  of  the  wall  still  remains
in  good  condition,  and  all  who  visit  it  are  surprised  by  its
massiveness,  and  marvel  at  the  difficulties  surmounted  in
its  construction.  It  was  erected  to  serve  as  a  barrier  against
the  marauding  raids  of  the  wild  Tartar  tribes  on  the  north,
now  becoming  a  constant  menace  to  the  Empire.
THE  SECOND  PERIOD  (b.c.  206-A.D.  1644)
The  Tsin  Dynasty  passed  away  after  a  short  existence
of  some  fifteen  years,  owing  to  a  civil  rebellion  that  resulted
in  giving  the  throne  to  Liu  Pang,  the  Prince  of  Han,  who
established  the  fifth  of  the  Chinese  dynasties.