How Qin Shi Huang Used Terror: The Suppression of Intellectuals in Chinese History

This episode explores the flight of alchemists Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng after criticizing Emperor Qin Shi Huang 🏛️, leading to the infamous "Burning of Books and Burying of Confucian Scholars" 📚🔥.

It analyzes their decision to flee as a strategic move, referencing the "Thirty-Six Stratagems" 🧠, and highlights Qin Shi Huang's autocratic rule, as documented in the "Records of the Grand Historian" 📖. The video also discusses the harsh "prohibiting concurrent study" law 📜 and its impact on intellectual freedom in Qin China.

Finally, it questions historical narratives 🤔, challenging the authenticity of the records.

Reference
《说苑》--Shuoyuan,.
《史记·儒林列传》--Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Confucian Scholars.