Category:Qin

The Qin period (秦代, 221–206 BCE) marks the first unification of the central Chinese states under a centralized imperial authority. The Qin state, emerging from the western frontiers during the Warring States period, established administrative standardization across writing, weights and measures, territorial divisions, and legal governance. Although the dynasty was short-lived, its institutional reforms formed the structural basis for subsequent imperial governance.

Material culture of the Qin period is characterized by large-scale state-directed production. Workshops associated with the capital region employed standardized forms, modular manufacturing, and coordinated labor management. In ceramics, the period saw the continued development of high-fired gray stonewares, often wheel-shaped and used for utilitarian, storage, and ritual contexts. Ceramic forms increasingly reflect codified vessel typologies tied to administratively regulated production.

The funerary complex of the First Emperor, located near present-day Xi’an, represents one of the most extensive state-sponsored craft undertakings of early imperial China. The associated terracotta figures (兵马俑) — including infantry, cavalry, officials, and specialized attendant figures — were produced through a combination of standardized component manufacture and individualized finishing. These figures demonstrate the capacity of Qin workshops to integrate mass production with representational detail. They are best understood within the context of funerary provisioning practices and the projection of imperial authority in the afterlife, rather than as independent artistic portraiture.

Other crafts during the Qin period include continued bronze casting, lacquer production, metallurgical toolmaking, and jade working. The Qin period stands as a transitional phase in which regional craft traditions became reorganized under centralized planning, standardization policies, and state labor coordination. These systems provided the framework through which ceramic and other craft industries would expand during the subsequent Han dynasty.