What is the story of burning books and burying Confucianism?

After Qin Shihuang unified China, many scholars liked to talk about politics, and the topic often touched on the political system of the Qin Dynasty. In 2 13 BC, Prime Minister Lisi suggested to Qin Shihuang that when some scholars had political disputes, they should burn hundreds of books to put an end to chaotic thoughts.

Qin Shihuang thought it was true. If people with old ideas are allowed to spread the old system everywhere, it will really hinder his rule. So he decided to accept Reese's suggestion and ordered the books to be burned. The specific method of burning books is: Except those books about medicine, divination and planting trees, all books such as The Book of Songs, Shangshu and A Hundred Schools of Thought which are not recorded by Qin historians but not collected by the government should be handed over to local officials for burning within 30 days after the order is issued. In the future, anyone who talks about the contents of ancient books privately will be sentenced to death; Anyone who attacks current politics by referring to the past will be put to death by the whole family. If the official knows nothing about this, he will be sentenced to the same crime.

After the book burning order was issued, county officials immediately strictly followed the order and collected books from house to house. In a short time, almost all the history books and books containing hundreds of academic thoughts outside Qin State were burned. Many historical facts and academic works before the Qin Dynasty have been lost since then. This is a great atrocity that Qin Shihuang destroyed China culture.

Qin Shihuang ordered the burning of books, which made many scholars very disgusted. Not only people with old ideas opposed Qin Shihuang's atrocities, but even some doctors in the court secretly discussed that Qin Shihuang had done too many things to destroy culture.

In the second year of burning books, that is, 2 12 BC, two alchemists, Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng, asked Qin Shihuang for the elixir of life, secretly saying, "Qin Shihuang was cruel and had too much self-confidence. He ruled the world with cruel punishment, and he didn't trust anyone. He has to decide everything on his own. For people who are eager for power like him, we'd better not ask for an elixir for him. " The two of them sneaked away with the money they got from Qin Shihuang.

When Qin Shihuang heard that the scholar spoke ill of him behind his back, Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng escaped. He was very angry and decided to punish them severely. So Qin Shihuang ordered the imperial doctor to investigate those literati who slandered him behind his back. People who are arrested and interrogated can't stand this cruel punishment. In order to excuse themselves, they and others climbed up and down one by one and found out that more than 460 alchemists and Confucian scholars were suspected. In a rage, Qin Shihuang had people dig a big pit outside Xianyang and bury them alive without verification. In fact, most of these 460 people died with resentment.

Qin Shihuang burned books to bury Confucianism, with the purpose of unifying thoughts and suppressing those thoughts and remarks against centralization, but his burning of books not only destroyed the cultural wealth accumulated for a long time before Qin Dynasty; I cheated Confucianism and killed many creators of spiritual wealth. Since then, the number of truly learned people in the Qin court has been greatly reduced, while traitors who specialize in deceiving their superiors and deceiving their subordinates, such as Zhao, have gradually become important figures around Qin Shihuang, and the Qin Dynasty began to decline.