The UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Journal of History

This article examines the recollection of Qin demise memories of medieval Chinese elites, arguing that they took the “Qin demise” notion as a means to achieve their respective political agendas. The Qin dynasty was the first empire that accomplished the unification of all-under-heaven in Chinese history; however, it collapsed in fifteen years. When analysing the causes of the Qin collapse, a controversial question catches enduring attention: To what extent does the system of administration account for the Qin demise? This question has led to an unsettled debate over the respective merits of the investiture- and commandery-county systems among Chinese literati for more than two millennia. This paper historicizes the debate about administrative system from Wei to mid-Tang, during which transitions of regimes occurred frequently. To examine this debate, the discourses of five intellectuals are chosen chronologically. By studying their memories pertaining to the reasons behind the Qin demise, this paper compares their attitudes to different administrative institutions and attempts to explain the underlying ideologies and historical backgrounds. In the end, I will present a unique mnemonic pattern across time, based on the elites’ discourses.