In the Eastern category, Strange Things Afoot at the Circle K selects Qin Shi Huang.
A controversial figure in Chinese history, he was by all accounts a brutal tyrant, but he also united many regions of modern china in a single empire for the first time. He also initiated a lot of public works projects such as the first great wall, and the ling canal, and the terra cotta army that would guard his tomb. He brought an end to feudalism, and instituted standardized measurement systems, and a single chinese script. On the other end of the spectrum, he unified the empire through ruthless military campaigns, and cracked down on intellectuals and scholars, burning many books and disbanding schools. Regardless, he paved the way for China to move forward as a unified state, and in doing so, had a huge impact on our world.
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