Ying Zheng, later known as Qin Shi Huang, conquered 6 states to unify China: Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi. Historical summaries of Qin’s unification describe his campaign as the conquest of the “other six major states.”

Quick Scoop

  • He was the king of Qin before becoming the first emperor of a unified China.
  • The Warring States period ended when Qin defeated the six rival states.
  • So the short answer is: 6 states.

Small note

Some sources also discuss later Qin expansion into southern and northern frontier regions, but those were not part of the core six-state conquest that unified China.