| − | Among the projects undertaken by Qin Shi Huang were the [[Terracotta Army]] and the first version of the [[Great Wall of China]].<ref>"[http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/38065.htm Qin Shi Huang (259-210 B.C.) and His Empire]", china.org.com</ref> He was a brutish tyrant who banned all books on philosophical and political topics. The story of Lady Meng, whose husband died building the Great Wall, is used to illustrate the emperor's cruelty.<ref>"[http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-8-2/44537.html Good Stories from China: Lady Meng-Jiang's Tears Made the Great Wall Collapse]", ''The Epoch Times'', Aug 02, 2006</ref> The emperor's early death is sometimes blamed on mercury, a poison he took believing it to be an elixir of immortality. He is condemned in traditional history, but admired by [[Mao Zedong]] and the Communists. | + | Among the projects undertaken by Qin Shi Huang were the [[Terracotta Army]] and the first version of the [[Great Wall of China]].<ref>"[http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/38065.htm Qin Shi Huang (259-210 B.C.) and His Empire]", china.org.com</ref> He was a brutish tyrant who banned all books on philosophical and political topics. The story of Lady Meng, whose husband died building the Great Wall, is used to illustrate the emperor's cruelty.<ref>"[http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-8-2/44537.html Good Stories from China: Lady Meng-Jiang's Tears Made the Great Wall Collapse]", ''The Epoch Times'', Aug 02, 2006</ref> He was obsessed with finding [[eternal life]].<ref>Williams, Thomas D. (December 26, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/12/26/chinas-first-emperor-obsessed-eternal-life-archaeology-reveals/ China’s First Emperor Obsessed with ‘Eternal Life,’ Archaeology Reveals]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved December 27, 2017.</ref> The emperor's early death is sometimes blamed on mercury, a poison he took believing it to be an elixir of immortality. He is condemned in traditional history, but admired by [[Mao Zedong]] and the Communists. |