ABSTRACT
A native of Puyang 濮陽 in the State of Wei (present-day Hebei Province), Lü Buwei 呂不韋 was a merchant before becoming Minister of the State of Qin, one of the small feudal kingdoms fighting others for political dominance during the Warring States Period (475–221 BCE). While serving as minister, Lü Buwei established his own private court and engaged more than three thousand people in his service. Amongst them were people of the finest intellect – politicians, historians, experts in economic matters, and writers – and they helped Lü compile the famous Annals of Lü Buwei 呂氏春秋 (Lüshi chunqiu), a compendium of the writings of the various schools of thought of the time. Under Lü's statesmanship, the State of Qin engulfed many of its neighbouring states and became a formidable power. But Lü was implicated in a revolt against the boy emperor in 238 BCE. As a result, he was banished from the capital to Henan and then to the present-day central province of Sichuan, where he is said to have ended his life with poison.
