China’s first emperor, Ying Zheng, was born in 260 BC, when China was split into warring states. He ascended to the throne of the western state of Qin in 247 B.C. at the age of twelve. By 221 B.C he had unified all seven warring states and renamed himself Qin Shihuangdi. The emperor’s efforts to consolidate a nation included standardizing the written language, currency and system of weights and measures. He also initiated an extensive network of roads and canals. Earlier defensive walls to the north became forerunners to the Great Wall.
The short lived Qin dynasty collapsed in 210 B.C. when the emperor died on a campaign. Unlike earlier periods, it was life-size figurines and not slaves that accompanied him into the grave. The subsequent Han quickly reduced his legacy to historical records and folklore. It wasn’t until over two-thousand years later in 1974 that some farmers digging a well uncovered one of the greatest archaeological finds in history.
Work began on the mausoleum in 246 B.C. when the emperor was only thirteen and took around 700,000 workers 37 years to complete. It was a microcosm of the emperor’s terrestrial world. An army of over 8,000 terracotta soldiers was distributed over three main pits to protect him in the afterlife. Rank and position were distinguished by uniform, hairstyle and weaponry.
The largest pit contains over 6,000 infantry and cavalry, lined in paved trenches, originally covered with wooden beams, layered with reed mats. So far about 1000 warriors have been carefully pieced back together, though the second largest pit has barely been touched. This may yet be the most impressive as it contains a mixture of cavalry, infantry, war chariots and archers. The third pit contains only 68 figures many of which are high ranking officials. Most were found without heads suggesting it wasn’t finished. Another exhibition hall contains two half-life-size bronze chariots used to carry the emperor’s soul into the afterlife.
The figures were made in workshops using local clay in a production line where heads and limbs, were fired separately. Craftsmen may have been instructed to capture the diversity of his empire. Each figure would also have been painted in vibrant colors, which oxidized rapidly after being uncovered.
On October 1, 1979 the museum was opened to the public and in 1987 became a UNESCO World Heritage site. Much remains unexplored but with improved techniques in colour preservation a new phase of excavation began in 2009. Many more soldiers, horses and chariots have been unearthed.