Chinese civilization stretches back thousands of years and has been ruled by 408 emperors. Among them, some emperors are famous in history, but there are very few emperors who can be called the first emperor of the ages.
So, what kind of emperor can be called an emperor through the ages? The First Emperor of the Ages refers to an emperor who has made great contributions to China's economy, culture, agriculture, ideology and military.
For example, there is a building built by an emperor who is still in use today, and the system he promulgated had a profound impact on China, even having a significant impact on the Tang Dynasty.
Qin Shi Huang, the founder of China's first great unified dynasty, reigned for just over a decade, but his contributions were far-reaching. With his great strength, he wiped out the Six Kingdoms, established the Qin Dynasty, and further strengthened the centralization of power.
He also promulgated the "county decree" and implemented the policy of "the same text, the same track, and the same line", which realized the unification of China, made the standards of currency, writing, and language unified, facilitated exchanges, and avoided the differences in language, writing, and currency in Europe.
Qin Shi Huang made a far-reaching layout and sent the general Meng Tian to lead 300,000 troops to defeat the Xiongnu who harassed the frontier and restore peace on the frontier. At the same time, he also built the Great Wall of China, which effectively prevented the Xiongnu from invading the Central Plains.
This decision not only protected the tranquility of the Chinese Dynasty, but also allowed the Great Wall to play an important role in later reigning dynasties and become a symbol of the Chinese nation. Although the First Emperor's way of ruling was somewhat brutal, he thought about the long-term plan in everything he did, which shows his thoughtfulness and foresight.
Under Li Shimin's rule, the Tang Dynasty reached the peak of prosperity, and the whole country was stable and harmonious. His ability to govern the country brought the Tang Dynasty to the pinnacle, and even the surrounding countries and ethnic tribes in the Western Regions respected him"Day Khan"。
Every year, these countries and tribes would send envoys to the Tang Dynasty on time to pay tribute and pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty. Even countries as far away as Japan sent envoys to pay tribute, learn the beneficial ideas of the Tang Dynasty's economy, culture, and education, and bring this knowledge back to China.
Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, is prosperous and unattended; In the dead of night, there is no need to close the door, there is no fear of thieves; Merchants travel, no need to find accommodation, sleep instantly in the wild. The prosperous Tang Dynasty deserves its name, and the merits of Tang Taizong have been passed down through the ages.
Although the reign of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was brutal, increasing taxes, making life difficult for the people, and even exhausting all the wealth left by his father, he was also an emperor with great contributions.
He dug the Grand Canal, which ran through the north and south not only made China's agriculture further developed, but also strengthened the economic and cultural exchanges between the north and the south, which is still in use today, and is known as the ancient miracle project together with the Great Wall.
During the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he established the imperial examination system, so that no matter what his background, as long as he passed the examination, he could enter the court as an official, which provided a fair selection mechanism for later dynasties, so that the imperial court was not all controlled by wealthy nobles, and also avoided collusion.
To this day, the imperial examination system is still in use, and many Tang Dynasty systems also originated from the Sui Dynasty. Although Emperor Yang of Sui made some mistakes during his reign, his contributions cannot be ignored, and his imperial examination system continues to influence Chinese society today.