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Primary sourceDocument221-207 BCE

Qin Bronze Weight with Inscribed Imperial Edicts

221-207 BCE

A bronze weight inscribed with imperial edicts from the reign of Qin Shi Huang, documenting his standardization policies directly in writing.

This weight carries imperial edicts, a direct written record of Qin Shi Huang's government and standardization program.

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Photograph of a dark green bronze object shaped like a truncated cone with a loop handle on top, its sides covered in raised small-seal style Chinese characters arranged in vertical columns. It rests on a grey cloth surface in front of a dark background.
Qin bronze weight inscribed with imperial edicts, 221-207 BCE. Qin Shihuang Museum, Lintong, Shaanxi.

About this source

What it is

This bronze weight, photographed at the Qin Shihuang Museum in Lintong, is inscribed with imperial edicts in small-seal script. Its truncated cone shape has a loop handle on top.

Why it matters

Because the inscription records imperial edicts, this weight is a direct written record from Qin Shi Huang's government. It shows how the emperor used inscribed objects to spread his authority and enforce standardized measures throughout the empire, linking law, writing, and daily commerce.

Look closer

  • What does it mean that laws were inscribed directly onto everyday objects like weights?
  • How does the script style on this object compare to modern Chinese characters?
  • Why might the emperor have wanted his edicts seen by ordinary merchants and officials?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emperor Qin Shi Huang on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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