The Qin achieved the first unification of China under a single emperor, standardizing weights, measures, and writing — and its very short lifespan launched the imperial template that endured for two millennia.
The Qin dynasty collapsed in 206 BCE following peasant rebellions after the death of its first emperor Qin Shi Huang, and was succeeded by the Han dynasty founded by Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu) in 202 BCE.
Sima Qian's foundational chronicle of the Qin state and the First Emperor's unification, in Burton Watson's celebrated translation.
The authoritative scholarly treatment of the Qin dynasty in volume 1 of the Cambridge series.