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Mausoleum of Qinshihuang (the First Qin Emperor)
Qin Shi Huang (259
BC - 210 BC), personal name Zheng, was the king of the Chinese State of
Qin from 247BC to 221BC, and then the first emperor of a unified China
from 221BC to 210BC, ruling under the name First Emperor. After he succeeded
in unifying China, he had carried out a series of major reforms in order
to strength his unification, and they undertook some gigantic construction
projects. For all his achievements, the most notable one is the current
Great Wall. For all the tyranny of his autocratic rule, Qin Shi Huang
is still regarded by many at present as the founding father in Chinese
history whose unification of China has endured for more then two millennia.
He began building up his tomb in the year of his ascendence to throne
at the age of 13. In order to complete his many conquests, he ordered
some 720,000 conscript laborers to speed up on establishing the royal
tomb. And he was able to put it in use after his death.
Brief Introduction
People always pay much attention on the Terra Cotta Warrior and Horses;
but could have neglected the yet unexcavated mausoleum of Emperor Qin
Shi Huang, but no wonder that it is only a composition of the Mausoleum
of the First Qin Emperor. Greater things are yet to come. It is a fact
that thousands of statues still remain to be unearthed at this archaeological
site, which was not discovered until 1974. Qin Shi Huang is buried, surrounded
by the famous terracotta warriors, at the center of a well designed to
mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianyang. The small figures are
all different; with their horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces
of realism and also of great historical interest.
Site
The Mausoleum of the First Emperor is situated on the eastern outskirt
of Lintong County. To the south is the lishan Mountain and the Wei River
towards north, with a distance of about 35 kilomwters from Xi'an. It is
framed in special shape that likes a dragon according to the traditional
Chinese geomancy. The mausoleum itself was right in the position of the
eye of the dragon, which indicates a lot the Emperor Qin's strong ambitions
upon the land, the whole country.
Covering Area
The Mausoleum of QinShiHuang is the very first emperor tomb throughout
the whole Chinese history. It was famous for sweeping size and abundant
treasures worldwide. Following the principle that First Emperor Qin still
remaining nabobism after death, he built up the mausoleum symbolized the
county XianYang. It is a four-layered mausoleum, an inner city, outer
city and grounds. The exterior of the mausoleum is a low earth pyramid
with a wide base. In 2000 years, the original 100-meter-high (328 feet)
hillock has been weathered down to about 47 meters (154 feet) high, 515
meters (1,690 feet) long from south to north and 485 meters (1,591 feet)
wide east to west. In an area of 2,180,000 square meters (less than one
square miles), many large-scale alhambresque buildings housing precious
treasures are said to be buried inside the tomb.
Related Historical Recollection
It is no denying a fact that the tomb is exactly a bloody process of more
than 700,000-conscripted labors, which were forced to establish the tomb
lifelong or in the end to buried here in order to keep their mouths shut.
All the concubines who were still alive after QinShiHuang's death would
accompany the emperor as well.
According to other historical data, we have learnt more about the tomb.
The coffin of Emperor Qin Shihuang was cast in bronze. Underground Palace
was gem-studded replica of imperial housing above ground. Moreover, booby
traps with automatic-shooting arrows were installed to deter would-be
tomb robbers. Heaven and earth were represented in the central chamber
of the tomb. Ceiling shaped into sun, moon and stars by inlaying pearls
and gems symbolizes the sky and the ground was an accumulation point of
rivers, lakes and seas, like Yellow River and Yangtze River, which stands
for the earth. It is said that the underground palace was brightly lit
by whale oil lamps for eternity. Nowadays, the records in this book have
been definitely proved right by archaeological findings and the underground
palace of the tomb is presumably well preserved.
Unexcavated Parts
The Terra-Cotta Warrior and horses have startled the world, but only as
a part of the whole mausoleum. The remaining parts still possess allurement
to us as somewhat mysteries. Qin bricks and tiles, engraved with decorative
patterns, are strew everywhere around the tomb. There are many satellite
tombs built for accompanying Qin Shihuang. Ministers, princesses and princes,
the famous and the not so famous were inhumed there. The burial pits for
horses, rare birds and pottery figures were ever regarded as the sacrificial
objects to the Emperor. Therefore the left parts from these tombs and
pits are beneficial for archaeologists to make further research.
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