Editing Qin dynasty (section)

=== Registration system ===
{{quote box|width=25%|align=right
|quote=<poem style="text-indent:1ic each-line">{{lang|lzh|四境之內，丈夫女子皆有名於上}}
Everywhere within the borders, let all men and women be registered by name with the government

{{lang|lzh|生者著，死者削}}
Those who are born shall be entered, and those who die, expunged</poem>|source=—''The Book of Lord Shang''{{sfn|Sanft|2014|p=127}}}}
During the 4th century&nbsp;BC, the state of Qin introduced a registration system for its population, which initially collated the names of individuals, and later began keeping track of entire households. The system, unique in its scope among Qin's contemporaries, is thought to have been established in 375&nbsp;BC. It was expanded later in the century at the direction of Shang Yang, with passages of ''[[The Book of Lord Shang]]'' referencing the system likely reflecting the words of Shang Yang himself. The oldest lists to be discovered, excavated at [[Shuihudi]] in [[Hubei]] and [[Liye Ancient City|Liye]] in [[Hunan]], date to the late 3rd century&nbsp;BC.{{sfn|Sanft|2014|pp=127–128}} Adapting a concept originally used within the military to society at-large, Qin households were organised into 'groups of five' ({{zhi|c=五|p=wǔ}}), wherein the heads of each household were made mutually responsible for reporting any wrongdoing committed by other members of the group.{{sfnm|1a1=Barbieri-Low|1a2=Yates|1y=2015|1pp=111–112|2a1=Sanft|2y=2014|2pp=127–129}} Under the orders of King Ying Zheng, the state began recording the ages of adult men in 231&nbsp;BC.{{sfn|Sanft|2014|p=129}}