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The
Underground Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang
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The discovery of the
Terracotta army buried near the tomb of Emperor Qin
Shi Huang, the first unifier of China, is regarded
as one of the most spectacular archaeological finds
of the 20th century. Created 2,200 years ago as an
imperial guard to serve the emperor in his afterlife,
these thousands of life-size warrior and horse figures
equipped with chariots and bronze weapons, bear witness
to the military might of the first emperor of the
Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), and give the world a rare
peek into the distant past. Discovered in 1974 and
opened to the public in 1979, this ancient site is
now one of the greatest tourist attractions in the
world. The Underground Terracotta Army of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang The discovery of the Terracotta army
buried near the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the
first unifier of China, is regarded as one of the
most spectacular archaeological finds of the 20th
century. Created 2,200 years ago as an imperial guard
to serve the emperor in his afterlife, these thousands
of life-size warrior and horse figures equipped with
chariots and bronze weapons, bear witness to the military
might of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206
B.C.), and give the world a rare peek into the distant
past. Discovered in 1974 and opened to the public
in 1979, this ancient site is now one of the greatest
tourist attractions in the world.
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Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Excavation
of the Terracotta Warrior and Horse Figure Pits.
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The
mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of the Qin
dynasty, is located in imposing surroundings five kilometers
to the east of Lintong County in ShanXi Province, with Lishan
Mountain to its south and the Wei River to its north. It
is surrounded by orchards of fragrant apricot trees. The
underground palace, built more than 2,000 years ago, has
not yet been excavated. But judging from the results of
test drillings and excavations, the mausoleum and the accompanying
burial grounds occupy an area of 56 square kilometers. The
mausoleum with its outer and inner walls surrounding the
tomb mound was built with an eastward orientation, and covers
and area of two square kilometers. The tomb mound itself,
shaped like and inverted bowl, towers 76 meters over the
southern section of the inner wall. It is said that the
tomb was originally surrounded by huge stone animals, but
to date these have not been found. In the neighborhood of
Xiyang Village, I. 5 kilometers east of the mausoleum are
the pits containing the Terracotta warrior and horse figures.
So far four such pits have been discovered. Pit No. 1 contains
mainly infantrymen along with a number of charioteers. Pit
No. 2 contains cavalrymen and armored kneeling archers.
In Pit No. 3, the presence of commanding officers, their
aides and bodyguards suggests that this was presumably the
command headquarters. No warrior or horse figures were found
in Pit No. 4. perhaps a rebellious peasant army approaching
Xianyang, the Qin capital, forced the construction of the
mausoleum to a halt.
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| Photographs
by Weng Naiqiang, Wang Lu, Wang Jingren, Li Xing, Wang Tianyu
and others |
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