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By the late 3rd century BC, uprisings were multiplying in China against the Qin and their effective leader Zhao Gao, which is unsurprising: just over a decade had passed since the Qin unification, so it made sense for claimants to try and restore ancient states such as Chu, where an important secession movement was launched.
Just at the same time, Maurya India was undergoing a similar process, with multiple territories detaching themselves from a center unable to keep a massive state ruled from one single city. A number of key differences existed between China and India, however.
For starters, in India the focus of scholarship was on religion and the way religious practices and rules were meant to support (or not) the caste system. Meanwhile, in China many scholars – focused on politics and philosophy rather than religious studies – pined for centralization so that the ancient, somewhat legendary order under the first Chinese dynasties could be restored in Chinese lands1.
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