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Qin was the first one to really unite all of China. The Qin dynasty was the first Chinese empire, the previous ones (Zhou and Shang) were more like kingdoms. The first Qin emperor was the one that really started the whole concept of Empire, that is, the control and unification of all lands. This idea of unification has lasted mroe than Two Thousand years. Throughout the history of China, there have been periods of cival war and unrest, dynasties rose and fell, but one thing that never changed was the idea of Empire. Everyone fought for control of the entirety of China. Keep in mind that this is the mindset that has been prevalent in China for the past Two Thousand years. This will give you a better appreciation for why the situation with Taiwain is so problematic for the Chinese. Never have Chinese people want to dissolve the unification. And indeed, pretty much up until the death of Jiang Jie Shi, Taiwan claimed to be the central authority of China.
The phrase "under heaven" (Tian Xia) not only means "all lands under heaven" but also in a sense "heaven wills it" or "heaven condones it". The idea is that Unification will bring peace throughout the land, create a common writing system, etc.
Now, this of course is just a fable, a fairy tale. It should be compared to what elementry school children are taught about our historic leaders, like George Washington, or how Abe Lincoln fought the civil war to free the slaves. Just think of how much American fairy tales are embedded in our own culture, and remember that we've only been around for two hundred years. This tale about the "nameless Hero" has been told throughout China for two Thousand years.
Hopefully those of you who have watched this film with think about it and try to understand it. I personally think it gives a lot of insight into the Chinese mentality.
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