Cause & Context
Upon unifying China, the Qin court debated governance: Chancellor Wang Wan advocated restoring feudal princely fiefs, while Minister Li Si fiercely demanded centralized commanderies.
Epochal Overview
Qin Shihuang adopted Li Si's counsel, abolishing hereditary feudalism and partitioning the empire into 36 commanderies governed by centrally appointed, non-hereditary magistrates.
Key Figures
The First Emperor of Qin and Chancellor Li Si boldly dismantled millennia of aristocratic privilege to construct the imperial bureaucratic apparatus.
Civilizational Impact
The Commandery-County system permanently replaced feudal aristocracy with centralized bureaucratic rule, establishing the foundational administrative model of the Chinese state for over two millennia.