Born in 259 BC during a time in which China was separated in 7 different states, Zheng became king of the Qin state at just 13. At 22 he took full control of the state and set about taking control of each of the others in turn. Qin Shi Huang was actually named Zheng at birth but after conquering the other states he declared himself emperor and changed his name to Shi Huang, which meant "first emperor". Click the pictures below to find out more about his life.