Friday, August 15, 2008

Qin Shi Huang ~ The First Emperor

Emperor Qin Shi Huang (Chinese: 秦始皇) was the first emperor of a unified China from 221 BC to 210 BC. Although he only ruled for 37 years, his list of achievements is phenomenal and he was clearly a very determined man. As the ruler of the Great Qin (Qin Dynasty), he was known/responsible for:

Unification of China and implementing a centralised form of control.

One of China's greatest tragedies, the saga know as The Burning of the Books.

having scholars buried, in an attempt to rewrite history.

initiating possibly China's greatest architectural feat, the Great Wall by joining together two smaller walls belonging to previous states and proclaimed that the wall should be extended to cover the entire border.

obsession with the search for immortality.

introduction of a universal system of currency as well as standard weights and measures.

his real masterpiece, the incredible Terracotta Soldiers near his tomb in Xian. The ultimate, underground model village, where a model of China was laid out complete with rivers and oceans and overlooked by the Heavens in perfect scale and complete harmony. According to historical records, the mausoleum was a notorious crime scene. Many laborers died of hardship during its construction, and all the workmen were entombed along with the emperor in order to keep their mouths shut.

Qin Shi Huang was buried in his mausoleum, with the famous Terracotta Army, near modern day Xi'an (Shaanxi province).

Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), had work begun on his mausoleum, which took 11 years to complete. The terracotta soliders form part of the mausoleum (along with many other treasures which accompanied the Emperor in the after-life).

The masusoleum itself has not been opened yet.

For 2000 years, a secret army of clay soldiers protected the hidden tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Until 1974 none knew of its existence; now Chinese archaeologists are gradually unfolding the mystery.