The Seeds of Rebellion: Qin Dynasty’s Oppressive Rule

The late 3rd century BCE was a period of dramatic transformation in China. The Qin Dynasty, under the leadership of Qin Shi Huang, had unified the warring states through ruthless conquests, ending centuries of fragmentation. However, this newfound unity came at a steep cost. The Qin regime, instead of fostering recovery, imposed crushing burdens on the populace.

Massive construction projects—such as the Great Wall, the Epang Palace, and the grand mausoleum at Mount Li—consumed countless lives and resources. Peasants, conscripted into labor or military service, faced starvation as agricultural production collapsed. Legalist policies exacerbated suffering: harsh laws turned minor infractions into capital offenses, filling roads with prisoners and execution sites with corpses. The conquered states of the former Six Kingdoms suffered especially, their people treated as subjugated enemies rather than citizens.

By the reign of Qin Er Shi (209–207 BCE), corruption and terror reached new heights. Chancellor Zhao Hao purged officials, while taxes and conscription drained the countryside. A climate of fear gripped the empire—critics were silenced, and dissent simmered beneath the surface.

The Spark at Daze Village: Rebellion Ignites

In 209 BCE, the Qin court ordered 900 conscripts from impoverished households to defend Yuyang. Among them were two peasant leaders: Chen Sheng, a former farm laborer from Yangcheng, and Wu Guang from Yangxia. When heavy rains trapped them at Daze Village (modern Anhui), delay meant execution under Qin law. Faced with certain death, the pair chose revolt.

Employing clever propaganda—a fish with a silk message reading “Chen Sheng shall be king” and staged fox-fire rituals—they rallied the desperate conscripts. Chen’s rallying cry, “Are kings and nobles born to rule?” challenged the very foundations of hereditary power. Proclaiming loyalty to the exiled Prince Fusu and the slain Chu general Xiang Yan, they declared the restoration of Chu, marking the birth of the “Zhang Chu” rebellion.

Fire Across the Empire: The Revolt Spreads

The rebels’ early victories were stunning. Armed with farming tools and bamboo poles, they seized Qixian and advanced into Henan. By the time they captured Chen County, their forces numbered tens of thousands, including cavalry and chariots. Chen Sheng, rejecting advice to restore aristocratic rule, declared himself king—a radical assertion of peasant sovereignty.

The uprising triggered a domino effect. Across former Chu territories, thousands rose up:
– Ying Bu, a convict from Mount Li, allied with Wu Rui’s forces.
– In Pei County, a low-ranking Qin official named Liu Bang (later founder of the Han Dynasty) killed his magistrate and joined the revolt.
– Nobles like Xiang Liang (uncle of the famed Xiang Yu) revived their own rebellions, blending anti-Qin sentiment with old loyalties.

Yet fissures emerged. Regional commanders, like Zhao’s self-proclaimed king Wu Chen, ignored central orders. Infighting erupted—Wu Guang was murdered by a rival general, weakening the western front.

The Tide Turns: Qin’s Counterattack and Rebel Setbacks

Qin’s general Zhang Han, leading an army of pardoned convicts, halted the rebel advance at the Battle of Xi. The charismatic but inexperienced peasant forces, overextended and divided, began to collapse. Chen Sheng, isolated by distrust and court intrigue, was betrayed and killed in 208 BCE.

Yet the rebellion had already irreparably fractured Qin’s authority. Surviving leaders like Xiang Liang regrouped, installing a puppet Chu king to legitimize their cause. The war entered a new phase, with Liu Bang advancing west while Xiang Yu achieved legendary victories—most famously at Julu, where his “burn the boats” tactics annihilated Qin’s main army.

Legacy: The Peasantry’s Political Awakening

Though short-lived, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s revolt reshaped Chinese history:
1. First Challenge to Divine Kingship: Their rejection of inherited privilege (“Are nobles born to rule?”) echoed through later rebellions.
2. Blueprint for Revolt: Tactics like leveraging natural disasters and manipulating omens became staples of peasant uprisings.
3. Accelerated Qin’s Fall: Within two years, Liu Bang entered Xianyang, ending the Qin Dynasty.

Modern perspectives celebrate the uprising as a seminal class struggle—a testament to collective action against tyranny. Yet its contradictions (alliances with nobles, internal strife) also reveal the complexities of revolutionary movements. Today, Daze Village stands as a monument, reminding us that even the mightiest empires are vulnerable when justice is denied.

The echoes of their defiance—”Rather die fighting for glory!”—still resonate in China’s historical consciousness, a timeless reminder of power’s fragility before the will of the oppressed.