Which reforms did Qin Shi Huang introduce after unifying China?

After unifying China in 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang, guided by the philosophy of Legalism and his minister Li Si, implemented sweeping reforms to establish a centralized administration and prevent the return of feudal fragmentation.12

His key reforms included:

• Administrative Restructuring: He abolished the existing feudal system and divided the empire into 36 military districts, each governed by centrally appointed civil and military officials.12
• Standardization: To unify the state, he mandated universal standards for weights, measures, currency, and the axle lengths of carts.12
• Linguistic Unification: He standardized the Chinese writing system, creating a uniform script that remained the foundation for communication across the empire.342
• Infrastructure: He initiated the construction of a vast network of roads and canals and linked existing northern defensive fortifications to form the Great Wall of China.12
• Social and Intellectual Control: To suppress opposition and enforce ideological conformity, he ordered the burning of the books in 213 BCE, targeting historical and philosophical texts that glorified the past, and persecuted scholars who advocated for a return to feudalism.142