The Origins of Qin’s New Year Celebrations

In the ancient legends of China, “Nian” was a fearsome man-eating beast that emerged at the end of each year. To drive it away, people lit fires, struck gongs, and created a cacophony of noise—a tradition that evolved into the New Year festival. By the Warring States period, the once-terrifying ritual had transformed into a grand celebration, particularly in the state of Qin.

Qin’s New Year festivities were unparalleled, partly due to its exclusive access to gaonu—a natural, highly flammable oil that produced spectacular torch displays. The “Shehuo” (village fire) tradition, where communities gathered to light torches, became Qin’s signature celebration. In prosperous years, such as after the completion of the Zheng Guo Canal, the festivities lasted for days, filling the capital Xianyang with a sea of firelight.

The Silent Watchtower: A King’s Solitude

While the streets roared with revelry, the Qin palace remained eerily quiet. Qin law forbade officials from offering gifts or congratulations to the ruler, ensuring an atmosphere of solemnity even during festivals. Young King Ying Zheng, ever the disciplined monarch, stood alone in the palace corridors, listening to the distant clamor of his people.

His solitude was interrupted when Chancellor Li Si arrived with an unexpected treasure: The Art of War by Wei Liao, a military treatise from the renowned strategist Wei Liaozi, who had recently taken refuge in Qin. Intrigued, Ying Zheng devoured the text in a single night, recognizing its revolutionary insights—unlike traditional military manuals focused on battlefield tactics, Wei Liaozi’s work addressed statecraft in warfare, aligning perfectly with Qin’s legalist philosophy.

The Strategist’s Flight and the Midnight Chase

The celebration turned to crisis when Wei Liaozi vanished. Coerced by agents from his native Wei—who threatened his family—he attempted to flee. Upon discovering his absence, Li Si and Ying Zheng launched a desperate pursuit. The king himself commandeered a chariot, racing through the night to intercept Wei Liao at Hangu Pass.

In a dramatic confrontation, Qin soldiers ambushed Wei’s spies, while Ying Zheng confronted the poisoned and disoriented strategist. “If you stay,” the king vowed, “I will protect your kin as my own.” Moved by Ying Zheng’s resolve—and with the spies eliminated—Wei Liaozi agreed to remain, solidifying Qin’s intellectual arsenal for the wars to come.

Legacy: The Unseen Foundations of Empire

This episode marked a turning point. Wei Liaozi’s theories—emphasizing self-reliance, agricultural-military synergy, and popular morale—became cornerstones of Qin’s unification strategy. The Shehuo fires that night symbolized more than a festival; they illuminated Qin’s emerging dominance.

Ying Zheng’s hands-on leadership—reading treatises in solitude, chasing strategists at midnight—foreshadowed the relentless drive that would later forge China’s first empire. The quiet scholar-king and the fiery celebrations of Xianyang were two sides of the same coin: a civilization marshaling its people, its thinkers, and its traditions toward an unprecedented destiny.

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