Ying Zheng, Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇嬴政
(Founder of the Qin dynasty, 259 BC - 210 BC)
I have written an introduction to this First Emperor of a united China for a previous entry, “Ancestor of Dragons”.
To get a sense of the time period he lived, his reign roughly corresponds to the time of the Punic wars in the Roman Republic on the other side of the world.
The YouTuber Xiran Jay Zhao uploaded a video telling the life story of Qin Shi Huang in all the exciting details: The First Emperor of China's Ridiculously Dramatic Life
Xiran also touched on the stories of other contemporary figures where they intersected with Qin Shi Huang: Bai Qi, Jing Ke, Gao Jianli, Li Si, Han Fei.
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The Wang Chuan Feng Hua Lu team wrote two songs for Qin Shi Huang, and one other song with him as one of the great Chinese emperors.
The first is the aforementioned “Ancestor of Dragons” (《祖龙吟》). This song focuses on Qin Shi Huang as a human, dealing with the struggles of his time, which is more contemplative in nature.
Original video link (by Vocaloid): https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV11b411k7ym
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The second song, celebrating his achievements and legacy, is titled "Beginning of Eternity" (《始见千秋》), where his prime minister Li Si also makes an appearance.
There's an excellent English translation by Conho with detailed explanations available, which I highly recommend and think it deserves more recognition.
Original video (Vocaloid): https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1JG4y1b7oB
Original video (human vocals as above): https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1de4y1172D
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In the third song, he is included in the ranks of great emperors,《数风流》. Again, Conho has a superb translation, titling it "The Distinguished and Remarkables".
Original video link: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Wg4y1W7jK
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