In 1974, when farmers were digging a well in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, in northwest China, little did they know that they were about to unearth the key to one of the world’s most significant archaeological discoveries. The 2000-year-old clay figure they found was but one of an entire army of terracotta soldiers and horses from the tomb of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Today, these are known as the Terracotta Warriors.
A powerful emperor
Born when China was divided into warring states, Qin Shi Huang founded the short-lived Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE) and became the First Emperor of a unified China. Throughout a reign filled with bloodshed, Qin Shi Huang’s many accomplishments included forging the seven warring states into one imperial nation, building the Great Wall, and standardizing weights, measures, and currency.
But his most incredible legacy of all was his mausoleum, an elaborate subterranean palace that symbolized his power and supremacy. When the First Emperor ascended the throne at age 13, a workforce of 700,000 men constructed a mass army of detailed terracotta figures near the tomb to accompany his burial and protect him in the afterlife.
The Terracotta Warriors
Chinese archaeologists have excavated three central pits near the emperor’s tomb containing the Terracotta Warriors, revealing more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. These soldiers were discovered in long lines stationed in actual military formations to guard the emperor’s tomb and protect him after death.
Despite the numbers, the life-sized sculptures exhibit incredible individuality, with varying heights and distinct uniform, hair, and facial features. Some figures wore caps and loose tunics; others had braided hair, carried armored vests, and were strategically positioned according to rank.
After the emperor of the Qin Dynasty died, numerous terracotta figures were vandalized and burned. Painstaking restoration and conversion techniques have been performed to piece them back together. Archaeologists have discovered over 40,000 bronze weapons, such as spears, crossbows, and arrowheads, which appear exceptionally well preserved inside the Terracotta Warriors’ pits.
Window into the past
The First Emperor’s legacy reveals much about China’s history, the sophistication of ancient Chinese craftsmanship applied to the Terracotta Warriors, and the advanced metallurgy technology used 2,000 years ago.
Today’s archaeological excavation techniques are inadequate to protect Emperor Qin’s burial chamber. Therefore, it remains an untouched and unexplored underground mausoleum, leaving intact many secrets and wondrous treasures buried within it. However, Emperor Qin Shi Huang will always be remembered as a critical seminal figure in China’s history — the founder of the first unified empire, the Qin Dynasty, and the creator of extraordinary architectural wonders.
Written by Peter Wu and translated by Lucy Wu
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