Qin abolished feudalism, a kind of rule where a lord rules his parcels of land gifted to him by a king. He then began to expand his kingdom by conquering independent states, starting with Hann, Zhao, and finally, Liaodong. He proclaimed himself as the emperor of China and under him, one currency was used throughout the entire kingdom. He also promoted Confucianism, as he was a believer of the five elements. It was in the Qin Dynasty that China first became a unified empire.