Chinese civilization has its roots in Shaanxi and Henan provinces where the Huang He, or Yellow River, winds around the fertile valley. The Han Chinese moved to and settled the area during the 3rd century BC. Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, lies just a few miles to the west of the convergence of the Wei and Huang He rivers. It was Emperor Qin who finally unified all of the warring clans into a potent and unified nation. Emperor Qin’s tomb lies about twenty miles east of the city and is an astonishing precinct to visit and explore. This is the area of a very interesting find. The tomb of Qin contains a terracotta army that was accidentally discovered by peasants who were digging a new well back in 1974. Modern buildings now cover these treasures, which provide a protected environment for them.

Qin’s terracotta army is composed of life-size statues of fierce warriors that look to be dressed for battle and are outfitted according rank. The army lies approximately a mile east of Qin’s main tomb. To date there have been only trial digs of the main tomb site and the main entrance has yet to be discovered. The tomb took hundreds of thousands of workers and thirty-six years to complete. It is also rumored that Qin ordered the tombs workers and supervisors who were involved in its design to be buried alive to protect its secrets. To date, three underground pits measuring a total of 22,000 square meters have been discovered with 8,000 life-size terracotta figures. Each pit lies about 15-20 feet below ground level, and the figures rest in corridors and various rooms. These corridors were separated with earthen walls and then paved with pottery bricks. Hefty wooden planks covered by layers of fiber mats provide the roof at the time. The entire area was then covered by rock and soil to conceal its location. Over time, the roof collapsed in several places, damaging the figures. There is also evidence of fire, which indicates raids by tomb robbers. The terracotta warriors represent a fraction of the eight thousand man strong underground army that is buried in front of Emperor Qinshihuang’s tomb. They were put there to supposedly to defend him in the afterlife. So who exactly was Emperor Qinshihuang to merit such a magnificent burial?

One of the most important monarchs in Chinese history, he has left a legacy that is as morally complex as that of Peter the Great. Like the Russian Tsar, he is famed for his contribution to the modern state at the time, as much as he is for sacrificing the lives of thousands of workers for his magnanimous projects. He was made the king of the region at the age of thirteen, by the time he was thirty eight he had conquered six neighboring states to unify China for the very first time. Although detested for his tyranny, he is revered my many for his radical and astute policies which were followed by subsequent leaders for many generations. To synthesize seven separate territories into a single nation, he standardized a common script and established a consistent measurement and monetary system. For effective governance, he established a legal system and substituted hereditary rulers with a centrally administrated system. To improve industrial productivity, he brought about agricultural reforms and constructed numerous roads. In an effort to negate the advance of barbarian tribes, he ordered the construction of a defense frontier along the northern frontier, described as the first great wall.

Thousands of laborers toiled and sacrificed their lives to construct his tomb, which was initiated as soon as he ascended the throne. According to Sima Qian’s “The Historical Record” written about a century later, heaven and earth were represented in the central chamber. The ceiling was inlaid with a thousand pearls, represented the starry skies. The floor, made of precious stones, depicted the map of the Chinese kingdom, a hundred rivers of mercury flowing across it. All of the treasures are protected by deadly booby traps. The main tomb has yet to be excavated, the reason being that archaeologists are still unable to find its main location. It was common for Emperors to amass huge burial mounds to divert robbers from finding the true site. The artificial mound that marks the Emperor’s tomb as of now doesn’t necessarily indicate the location of its majestic central chamber. However, the high mercury levels which have been reported near the present location lead archaeologists to think they may have finally found it. The terracotta warriors, are just one of the many barriers that the brutal Emperor employed to protect his tomb for eternity.

The limestone and marble Kouroi of the Greek Late Archai Period (535-480 BC) counter the claim that the Terracotta Warriors were the first free standing statues in history. However, this no way undermines the ingenuity of the Terracotta Warrior’s design and manufacturing process. As for the Greek, painstakingly carving individual statues out of stone, the Qin dynasty project on the other hand held productions on a mass scale. Tens of thousands of figurines were created within a series of processes which began with the molding of the legs. The ancient craftsmen were unsure of how to make a free standing model; finally it dawned upon them that by constructing the hollow statues upon solid legs, this would render enough weight and balance to allow the statue to stand on its own. Hollow arms, legs, and heads were made of coiled earth; they were then joined together with strips in the legs and set upon the solid legs. After this, a rough model was crafted. The details such as eyes, nose, and mouths, as well as the clothes, were carved while the clay was still wet and malleable. Additional parts such as ears, armor, and beards were modeled separately and then attached. After this the figurines were heated at very high temperatures. The attention to detail astonishes even present day craftsmen, it’s evident they took great pride in their work.