Thought policing
Jul 19, 2021
3 minutes
Eric Berkowitz
Illustration:
Joseph Joyce
In 213 BC, the emperor Qin Shi Huang Yes, he had successfully unified seven warring states to create the kingdom that became China; and yes, he had achieved a level of raw power previously unknown in the region. But he was disliked, to say the least, and as he travelled his domains in disguise he seethed upon hearing Confucian and other scholars compare his regime unfavourably to the past’s golden ages. Ne decided to immolate that past.
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