190 SUR@EON-GENERAL C. A. GORDON. 
being to avert future incursions by his Tartar neighbours. 
The gigantic work thus begun was not finished in B.C. 209, 
when ‘‘the First Emperor” died; it was subsequently com- 
pleted, and at the present day has stood for more than 2,000 
years, its extent 1,500 miles, from the Eastern Ocean to 
Western Tartary. 
This brief reign is remarkable as having witnessed the 
destruction of literary works even more extensive than that 
which was to happen in subsequent years at Alexandria.* The 
First Emperor “ desired that all records of the past should 
be destroyed, and history commence with and from himself. 
With this object he ordered the destruction of all existing 
hterature, excepting only such works as referred to medicine, 
agriculture, and civilisation.’ 'T'o the credit of the literati of 
that period, great numbers refused to give up their precious 
volumes, notwithstanding that six hundred of them suffered 
death for refusing to comply with the Imperial edict. 
Many books, however, escaped the sentence against them 
through the zeal of those who cultivated learning; and 
from the records so preserved Chinese history came 
in subsequent years to be reconstructed. The death of 
Hwaneti (B.C. 209) was the signal of an outbreak among 
the deposed feudal princes. Hut-suy, his son, only enjoyed 
sovereign power three years. Dissolute and immoral him- 
self, his government fell into the hands of a worthless 
favourite, who imposed heavy taxes upon, and subjected the 
people to oppressive regulations in other respects. Under 
such conditions rebellion occurred, a private soldier named 
Linu Pane, otherwise Caou Tsou, who was destined soon 
to make his way to Imperial power, having early become a 
leader of the disaffected, a spirit of revolt spread to the army, 
dissensions occurred within the palace, and Hut-sue fell, 
among other victims. For a few months a successor who 
had been chosen to the throne ineffectually held his position. 
At the end of that time, his influence having completely gone, 
the rebel leader Liev Pana ascended the throne as First 
Emperor ot the tifth dynasty, or that of Han.+ That dynasty, 
dated from B.C. 206; it continued till A.D. 220, when it came 
to an end with Hirenrr, the twenty-fifth Emperor of the line, 
having meanwhile occupied a period the most famous in 
China’s history, and in that of the world. In its later years 
* B.C, 47, when the library of the Bruchion, which contained 400,000 
volumes, was destroyed during Cwsar’s hostilities against Alexandria, or the 
burning of the Alexandrian library by the Caliph Omar, A.D. 641. 
+ According to the order of succession usually adopted—See Du Hulde 
vol. 1. 
