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== History ==
Before the [[Qin's wars of unification|Qin conquest of the six other major]] [[Warring States period|warring states]] of [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou China]], local stylesvariation ofin [[Chinese character|characters]] forms had evolved independently of one another for centuries, producing "Scripts of the Six States" ({{lang|zh|六國文字}}), all of which were included under the general term "[[greatlarge seal script]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Categories of Calligraphy - Seal Script |url=https://www.cityu.edu.hk/lib/about/event/ch_calligraphy/seal_eng.htm |access-date=2023-09-28}}</ref> Under a more unified regime, the variance was considered unacceptable in its hindrance of timely communications, trade, taxation, and transportation, as well as being potential vectors for fomenting political dissent.<ref>{{Cite journal |websitelast=wwwGalambos |first=Imre |year=2004 |title=The Myth of the Qin Unification of Writing in Han Sources |jstor=23658631 |journal=Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=181–203 |issn=0001-6446}}</ref>Afterwards, [[Qin Shi Huang]] mandated the systematic unification of weights, measures, currencies, etc.cityu, and the use of a standard writing script.edu Characters which were different from those found in Qin were discarded, and Qin's small seal characters became the standard for all regions within the empire.hk This policy became effective in around 220 BC, the year after Qin's unification of the Chinese states.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Diringer |first=David |title=The book before printing: Ancient, Medieval and Oriental |publisher=Dover |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-486-24243-9 |___location=New York}}</ref>
However, under one unified government, the diversity was deemed undesirable as it hindered timely communication, trade, taxation, and transportation, and as independent scripts might be used to represent dissenting political ideas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Galambos |first=Imre |date=2004 |title=The Myth of the Qin Unification of Writing in Han Sources |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23658631 |journal=Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=181–203 |issn=0001-6446}}</ref>
Hence, Emperor [[Qin Shi Huang]] mandated the systematic unification of weights, measures, currencies, etc., and the use of a standard writing script. Characters which were different from those found in Qin were discarded, and Qin's small seal characters became the standard for all regions within the empire. This policy became effective in around 220 BC, the year after Qin's unification of the Chinese states.<ref name="Diringer">[[Diringer, David]]. [1982] (1982). ''The Book Before Printing: Ancient, Medieval, and Oriental.'' Courier Dover Publications. {{ISBN|0-486-24243-9}}.</ref>
== Standardization ==
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