Tours and Inscriptions (219–215 BCE)

In the twenty-eighth year the First Emperor traveled east through the commanderies and counties and climbed Mount Yi in Zou. He erected a stone and consulted the scholars of Lu about inscribing it to praise Qin’s virtue, and about the rites of sealing and sacrifice to mountains and rivers. He then ascended Mount Tai, erected a stone, performed the sealing rite, and offered sacrifices. On the way down, wind and rain suddenly struck; he sheltered beneath a tree and conferred on it the rank of grandee of the fifth order. He performed the sacrifice at Liangfu. The stone he erected was inscribed with these words:

The emperor ascended his throne, established ordinances and clarified the laws; his subjects kept good order. In the twenty-sixth year he first united all under heaven, and none failed to submit. He personally visited the people in distant lands, climbed this Mount Tai, and surveyed the eastern limit. His attending ministers considered his deeds, traced his achievements to their source, and reverently celebrated his merit and virtue. The way of government operates; all enterprises prosper in their season, each according to its proper rule. His great righteousness shines gloriously, bequeathed to later ages; follow and preserve it unchanged. The emperor is a sage in his own person. Having pacified the realm, he does not slacken in governing. Rising early and sleeping late, he establishes lasting benefits and diligently advances instruction. His teachings are proclaimed and spread, and far and near all is well ordered, all complying with his sacred will. Noble and humble have their distinct places; men and women observe proper conduct and diligently perform their duties. The boundaries between inner and outer are made clear; all is pure and undefiled and so shall remain for our descendants. His transforming influence extends without end: honor the commands he leaves behind, and forever heed his solemn warnings.

He then went along the eastern coast of the Bohai Sea, passed Huang and Chui, reached the far end of Chengshan, and climbed Zhifu. There he raised a stone praising Qin’s virtue and departed.

Traveling south, he climbed Langya, delighted in it, and stayed three months. He moved thirty thousand households of black-haired subjects below Langya Terrace and exempted them from taxes and labor for twelve years. He built Langya Terrace and raised an inscribed stone praising Qin’s virtue and proclaiming his triumph. It said:

In the twenty-eighth year the emperor made a new beginning, rectified and leveled laws and measures, and established order for all things. He clarified human affairs and brought father and son into accord. Wise, discerning, humane, and righteous, he made the principles of the Way shine plain. He journeyed east to console the eastern lands and inspect the troops. With his great work accomplished, he came to the sea. The emperor’s achievement is to encourage labor in its essential pursuits: to exalt farming, restrain lesser trades, and enrich the black-haired people. Beneath the whole sky all have united their minds and yielded their wills. Tools and measures are uniform; written characters are the same. All whom sun and moon illuminate, all whom boat and cart can carry, live out their appointed span, none without fulfillment. To act when the time demands: this is the emperor. He sets divergent customs right, crossing waters and traversing lands; caring for the people, he never rests, morning or night. He dispels doubt and establishes law, so all know what to avoid. Regional governors divide their duties; government everywhere is simple and ordered. Every appointment and dismissal is fitting, all as if drawn to a plan. The emperor’s clear sight surveys the four quarters. High and low, noble and humble, none transgress their station. No corruption is tolerated at Langya; all strive for integrity and goodness. Great and small exert all their strength; none dare grow idle or negligent. In far and near, in open and hidden places, all devote themselves to solemn discipline. Upright and loyal, they pursue enduring work. The emperor’s virtue sustains and steadies the four limits. He punishes disorder, removes harm, promotes benefit, and brings good fortune. Work is regulated by the seasons, and every kind of production flourishes. The black-haired people live in peace, without recourse to arms. Their six kinds of kin protect one another; at last there are no marauders or thieves. Gladly they obey his teachings and know the laws in full. All within the six directions is the emperor’s land: west across the shifting sands, south to the north-facing households; east to the Eastern Sea, north beyond Daxia. Wherever human footsteps reach, none fail to be his subjects. His achievement surpasses the five emperors, his bounty reaches even oxen and horses. All receive his virtue and dwell secure in their homes.

When the King of Qin had united the realm and taken the title Emperor, he pacified the eastern lands and reached Langya. The attendant lords were Wang Li, Lord of Wucheng; Wang Ben, Lord of Tongwu; Zhao Hai, Lord of Jiancheng, and Cheng, Lord of Changwu, both lords of the second class; Feng Wuze, Lord of Wuxin of the second class; Chancellors Kui Lin and Wang Wan; high ministers Li Si and Wang Wu; and Zhao Ying and Yang Jiu, grandees of the fifth order. They conferred beside the sea and said: “The ancient emperors held no more than a thousand li of territory. Their lords each kept their own domains, attending court or not, attacking each other and causing turmoil, with slaughter and warfare unceasing. Yet those emperors engraved bronze and stone to leave records of themselves. The five emperors and three kings of old differed in their teachings and left laws and measures unclear. They borrowed the authority of spirits to deceive distant lands; their deeds did not live up to their names, and their rule did not last. Before their deaths the lords had turned traitor and their laws went unenforced. Now the emperor has united all within the seas, made it into commanderies and counties, and brought peace to the realm. He has brought glory to the ancestral temple, embodied the Way and practiced virtue, and fully earned his august title. Together we ministers celebrate the emperor’s merit and virtue, inscribing them on bronze and stone as an enduring standard.”

After this, Xu Shi and others from Qi submitted a memorial saying that three sacred mountains in the sea, Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, were inhabited by immortals. They requested permission to purify themselves and seek them with boys and girls. The emperor dispatched Xu Shi with several thousand boys and girls into the sea in search of immortals.

On his return, the First Emperor passed Pengcheng, purified himself, and offered prayers and sacrifices, wishing to recover the Zhou tripod from the Si River. He sent a thousand men diving into the water, but they did not find it. He then crossed the Huai River to the southwest, going to Hengshan and Nanjun. He sailed on the Yangtze and came to the shrine on Mount Xiang. A fierce wind arose, and he nearly failed to cross. He asked the Erudites: “What sort of spirit is Lord Xiang?” They answered: “We hear she was a daughter of Yao and wife of Shun, buried here.” The First Emperor was furious. He sent three thousand convicts to cut down all the trees on Mount Xiang and expose its red soil. He returned from Nanjun through Wu Pass.

In the twenty-ninth year the First Emperor traveled east. At Bolangsha near Yangwu, he was startled by an assassin. The culprit could not be found, so he ordered a great search throughout the realm for ten days.

He climbed Zhifu and inscribed a stone. Its words were:

In the twenty-ninth year, in mid-spring as the warmth of the sun began to rise, the emperor traveled east, toured Zhifu and climbed it, looking out upon the sea. His attending ministers rejoiced in the sight, pondered his glorious exploits, and recounted their beginnings. The great sage established government, fixed the laws and measures, and made the principles of rule manifest. Abroad he instructed the lords, spread the light of civil kindness, and illuminated the principles of righteousness. The six states were perverse, grasping and insatiable, their violence and slaughter unending. The emperor pitied the people and raised an army of chastisement, displaying his martial virtue. His just punishment and trustworthy action carried his awe far and wide; none failed to submit. He destroyed the cruel and mighty, rescued the black-haired people, and settled all four quarters. He spread enlightened law everywhere, ordering the realm for all time as an enduring model. How great indeed! All in the world comply with his sacred will. His ministers celebrate his works and ask to carve them in stone as a lasting standard.

The inscription on the eastern lookout said:

In the twenty-ninth year, the emperor traveled in spring to survey distant lands. Reaching the edge of the sea, he climbed Zhifu to look out upon the morning sun. The view was vast and splendid; all his attending ministers reflected on the source of his most enlightened Way. When his sacred laws first arose, they purged and ordered the country within its borders and punished violent powers beyond them. His martial awe spread in every direction, shook the four limits, and captured and destroyed the six kings. By openly uniting the realm he ended calamity and danger and stilled the weapons of war forever. The emperor’s radiant virtue governs all within the world, never weary of watching and listening. He establishes great principles; his clearly arrayed equipment and vessels all bear distinctive emblems and banners. His officers keep their assigned duties, each knowing what he must do; nothing remains uncertain. The black-haired people are transformed; far and near follow the same standards, excelling all past ages. Duties now firmly established, descendants will pursue the work and preserve the sage’s rule for generations. His ministers rejoice in his virtue, reverently celebrate his sacred achievements, and request this inscription at Zhifu.

He turned back, went to Langya, and returned by way of Shangdang.

In the thirtieth year, nothing happened.

In the twelfth month of the thirty-first year, he renamed the winter sacrifice “Jiap’ing.” He gave each community of black-haired subjects six shi of rice and two sheep. Traveling incognito in Xianyang with four warriors, the First Emperor encountered bandits by night at Orchid Pool and was cornered. The warriors killed the bandits. A great search was carried out in Guanzhong for twenty days. A shi of rice cost sixteen hundred coins.

In the thirty-second year the First Emperor went to Jieshi and sent Lu Sheng of Yan to seek Xianmen and Gao Shi. He carved an inscription at the Jieshi Gate, demolished city walls, and broke through the dikes. Its words were:

Then he raised armies to punish the lawless, and rebellion perished. With arms he destroyed violent traitors; with civil rule he restored the innocent, and all the people gave him their hearts. He graciously assessed merit and service, granted rewards even to oxen and horses, and lavished kindness on the land. The emperor displayed his might, joined the lords through his virtue, and first brought universal peace. He tore down walls, opened rivers and dikes, and leveled dangerous barriers. Once the land was settled, the people no longer suffered forced labor, and the whole realm received his care. Men took joy in their fields, women cultivated their crafts, and every task had its order. His kindness extended to every kind of production; those long settled and those newly come to farm were all secure in their places. His ministers celebrate his achievements and ask to carve this stone, leaving a manifest rule and model.

He sent Han Zhong, Hou Gong, and Shi Sheng in search of immortals and the medicine of deathlessness. The First Emperor toured the northern frontier and came back through Shangjun. Lu Sheng of Yan returned from his mission at sea and, invoking spirits and gods, presented an oracular text saying, “The one who will destroy Qin is Hu.” The First Emperor sent General Meng Tian to lead three hundred thousand soldiers north against the Hu and seize the land south of the Yellow River.

In the thirty-third year, he mobilized escaped fugitives, sons-in-law living with their wives’ families, and merchants to seize the lands of Luliang, establishing Guilin, Xiangjun, and Nanhai commanderies and sending convicts to garrison them. In the northwest he drove back the Xiongnu. From Yuzhong east along the Yellow River to the Yin Mountains he established thirty-four counties, fortifying the river as a frontier. He also sent Meng Tian across the river to take Gaoque, Yangshan, and Beijia, and build outposts and barriers to drive away the Rong. Exiles were moved to fill the new counties. Sacrificial worship was forbidden. A bright star appeared in the west.

In the twenty-eighth year, the First Emperor traveled east through the commanderies and counties and climbed Mount Yi near Zou. He set up a stone monument and discussed with scholars from Lu the words to be carved on it praising Qin's achievements. He also discussed sacrifices to heaven and earth and offerings to mountains and rivers. Then he climbed Mount Tai, set up a stone, performed the feng sacrifice, and offered worship. On his way down a sudden storm broke. He took shelter under a tree and awarded it the rank of Fifth Grandee. He performed the shan sacrifice at Liangfu. The inscription carved on the stone said:

When the emperor came to the throne, he made decrees and clarified laws, and his ministers set their affairs in order. In the twenty-sixth year he first united the world, and everyone submitted. He went in person to inspect the people in distant places, climbed this Mount Tai, and surveyed the far eastern horizon. His accompanying ministers reflected on his deeds, considered the beginnings of his work, and respectfully praised his achievements. The principles of government are in operation; all kinds of production follow their proper course, each according to a set pattern. Great justice shines clearly and is handed down to future generations, who must follow it without change. The emperor himself is wise. Once he had pacified the world, he did not relax his efforts at governing. He rose early and went to sleep late, established lasting benefits, and devoted himself to promoting instruction. His teachings and principles are spread abroad. Far and near, everyone is properly governed and follows his wise will. The difference between high and low ranks is clear; men and women observe their proper conduct and carefully fulfill their duties. The division between the household and the outside world is plain; all is pure and orderly, and this will reach later generations. His transforming influence will continue without end. They will obey his final decrees and always heed his solemn warnings.

Then he traveled along the coast east of the Bohai Sea, passed Huang and Chui, reached the end of Chengshan, and climbed Mount Zhifu. There he erected a stone praising Qin's achievements and went on.

He climbed Langya in the south, liked it greatly, and stayed three months. He moved thirty thousand households of common people to the foot of Langya Terrace and exempted them from taxes and labor duties for twelve years. He built Langya Terrace and erected a carved stone praising Qin's achievements and setting out his intentions. It said:

In the twenty-eighth year the emperor began his work. He set laws and measures straight as the standard for everything. He clarified human affairs and united fathers and sons. With wisdom, understanding, kindness, and justice he made the principles clear. He traveled east to care for the eastern lands and inspect the soldiers. Once his great work was complete, he came to the sea. The emperor's achievement is to encourage hard work in the essential occupations. He promotes farming and removes unproductive pursuits, making the common people prosperous. Beneath the whole sky, people unite their hearts and direct their wills toward him. Tools and measures are uniform; written characters are the same. Everywhere the sun and moon shine, everywhere boats and carts can carry people, everyone lives out a full life and gets what they desire. The emperor acts at the right time. He corrects and orders different customs, crossing rivers and traveling across the land. He cares for the common people and never rests, morning or evening. He removes doubts and establishes laws, so all know what to avoid. Regional officials have separate duties and the workings of government are simple. Every action is appropriate; everything goes as planned. With the emperor's clear sight he examines all four directions. The honored and humble, the high and low, do not step beyond their proper rank. Langya does not tolerate wrongdoing; all strive to be honest and good. All, great and small, work with all their strength; no one dares to be lazy or neglectful. Far and near, open and hidden places, all are devoted to serious and orderly conduct. They are upright, sincere, and loyal; their work follows a steady pattern. The emperor's power keeps the four farthest regions secure. He punishes disorder and removes harm; he promotes benefits and brings good fortune. Work is arranged to suit the seasons, and all products increase. The common people live in peace and have no need for weapons. Relatives protect one another, and there are no more raiders or thieves. They gladly follow his teaching and all know the laws and standards. Everything within the six directions is the emperor's land. In the west it crosses the moving sands; in the south it reaches the lands where doors face north. In the east is the Eastern Sea, and in the north it extends beyond Daxia. Wherever people have set foot, all are his subjects. His achievements exceed those of the Five Emperors. His kindness even reaches cattle and horses; all receive its benefits and live securely in their homes.

When the King of Qin had united the world and taken the title of emperor, he traveled east to care for the eastern lands and reached Langya. The nobles Wang Li, Lord Wucheng, and Wang Ben, Lord Tongwu; the nobles of another rank Zhao Hai, Lord Jiancheng, Cheng, Lord Changwu, and Feng Wuze, Lord Wuxin; Chancellors Kui Lin and Wang Wan; ministers Li Si and Wang Wu; and the Fifth Grandees Zhao Ying and Yang Jiu accompanied him and discussed matters with him by the sea. They said: “The emperors of antiquity held no more than a thousand li of land. The other lords each guarded his own fief. Some came to court and others did not. They attacked one another and spread disorder, and their cruel wars never stopped; still they carved inscriptions on metal and stone as records of themselves. The Five Emperors and Three Kings of ancient times had different ideas about instruction and unclear laws and standards. They borrowed the authority of spirits to deceive distant peoples. Their deeds did not live up to their names, so their rule did not last. Before they died, other rulers broke away and rebelled, and their laws and orders went unenforced. Now the emperor has united all the lands within the seas, made them into commanderies and counties, and brought peace to the world. He has honored and brought glory to the ancestral temples, followed the right way and practiced virtue, and fully earned his exalted title. We ministers together praise the emperor's achievements and carve them in metal and stone as a public standard.”

Afterward, Xu Fu and others from Qi submitted a memorial. They said that three sacred mountains stood in the sea, named Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, where immortals lived. They asked permission to purify themselves and seek the mountains with boys and girls. Xu Fu was therefore sent out to recruit several thousand boys and girls and sail into the sea in search of immortals.

On his return, the First Emperor passed through Pengcheng. He purified himself and offered prayers and sacrifices, hoping to retrieve the Zhou ritual cauldron from the Si River. He sent a thousand men to dive for it, but they did not find it. He then crossed the Huai River to the southwest and went to Hengshan and Nanjun Commandery. He sailed down the Yangtze to the shrine at Mount Xiang. A strong wind nearly prevented him from crossing. The emperor asked an Erudite: “Who is the spirit Lord Xiang?” The Erudite answered: “I have heard that she was Yao's daughter and Shun's wife, and that she is buried here.” The First Emperor became very angry and ordered three thousand convicts to cut down all the trees on Mount Xiang, leaving its soil bare and red. The emperor returned from Nanjun through Wuguan Pass.

In the twenty-ninth year, the First Emperor toured the east. At Bolangsha in Yangwu he was startled by an attacker. The attacker could not be found, so he ordered a wide search across the land for ten days.

He climbed Mount Zhifu and carved a stone. Its inscription said:

In the twenty-ninth year, in the middle of spring, warmth was just beginning. The emperor traveled east, climbed Mount Zhifu on his tour, and looked out across the sea. His accompanying ministers praised the sight, reflected on his fine achievements, and recalled the start of his work. This great sage established government and fixed laws and standards, making the rules of order clear. He instructed the other rulers, spread enlightened kindness, and made justice and reason plain. The six states were crooked and corrupt, endlessly greedy and violent, and never stopped their cruel killing. The emperor pitied the people and sent out an army to punish them, showing the strength of his forces and his virtue. He punished them justly and kept his word; his power spread far and wide, and all submitted. He destroyed the strong and violent, rescued the common people, and secured the four farthest regions. He spread clear laws everywhere and ordered the whole world by them as a lasting standard. How great he is! Throughout the world, people follow his wise will. His ministers praise his achievements and ask to carve them on stone as a permanent record of his standards.

The inscription on the eastern overlook said:

In the twenty-ninth year the emperor toured in spring and inspected distant regions. When he reached the edge of the sea he climbed Mount Zhifu and stood in the light of the morning sun. His ministers surveyed the broad and beautiful view. They all reflected on the principles of his government and its perfect clarity. When his wise laws were first put in place, they settled the territory within the borders and punished powerful oppressors outside them. His military power spread far and shook the four farthest regions; he captured and destroyed the six kings. He united the world openly, ended disasters and harm, and put weapons away forever. The emperor's clear virtue puts all the lands in order, and he never tires of watching and listening. He established great principles and made equipment and tools clear, all with regulated signs and banners. Officials keep to their assigned duties and each knows what to do, so nothing is left uncertain. The common people have changed their ways; near and far they follow the same standards, surpassing all earlier ages. With regular duties established, his successors will continue his work and uphold his wise rule for a long time. His ministers praise his virtue and respectfully recount his great deeds, and ask to carve them on Mount Zhifu.

He turned back, went on to Langya, and returned by way of Shangdang.

In the thirtieth year, nothing happened.

In the twelfth month of the thirty-first year, the year-end sacrifice was renamed “Jia Ping,” or Auspicious Peace. Each community of commoners received six shi of rice and two sheep. The First Emperor traveled around Xianyang in disguise with four armed men. At night they met robbers at Lanchi and were cornered. His guards killed the robbers, and a wide search was conducted in the Guanzhong region for twenty days. Rice cost sixteen hundred coins per shi.

In the thirty-second year, the First Emperor went to Jieshi and sent Lu Sheng, a man from Yan, to look for Xianmen and Gaoshi. He carved an inscription at Jieshi Gate. He demolished city walls and broke open embankments. The inscription said:

He raised armies to punish and kill the lawless and end rebellion. By force he destroyed violent rebels; by civil rule he restored the innocent, and all the people willingly submitted. He kindly recognized service and rewarded even cattle and horses; his generosity enriched the land. The emperor exerted his power and brought the other rulers under his rule. For the first time all were united in great peace. He tore down city walls, opened up waterways and their barriers, and cleared away obstacles. Once the land was secured, the people no longer had to serve in forced labor, and everyone lived under his protection. Men enjoyed their fields and women worked at their trades; each occupation had its proper order. His kindness reached every kind of production; long-established fields and newly opened farmland alike were secure. His ministers praised his great deeds and asked to carve them on this stone, to pass down his standards.

He sent Han Zhong, Hou Gong, and Shi Sheng to seek the immortals and their medicine for eternal life. The First Emperor toured the northern border and returned by way of Shangjun. Lu Sheng came back from his voyage into the sea. On the subject of spirits, he presented records and diagrams that said, “The Hu will destroy Qin.” The First Emperor then ordered General Meng Tian to raise three hundred thousand men and attack the Hu in the north, taking the lands south of the Yellow River.

In the thirty-third year, he called up people who had once fled from justice, men living with their wives' families, and merchants to seize the lands of Luliang. He established Guilin, Xiang, and Nanhai commanderies and sent convicts to garrison them. In the northwest he drove back the Xiongnu. Along the Yellow River eastward from Yuzhong to the Yin Mountains he established thirty-four counties and built fortified settlements beside the river as a barrier. He also sent Meng Tian across the Yellow River to take Gaoque, Yangshan, and Beijiazhong. He built lookout posts and defenses to drive out the Rong people. He moved exiles to populate the newly founded counties. Worship at shrines was forbidden. A bright star appeared in the west.