 |
| (A terracotta figure of an officer) |
Located in the north of Mount Lishan, Lintong County, Xi'an, Shaanxi
Province are the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of
Qin, and his buried terracotta soldiers. The building of the tomb
started in 246 BC and lasted 39 years until 208 BC. It is the first
imperial mausoleum of dimensions in Chinese history. Today the mound
still stands 76 meters high. The layout of its grounds followed that
of Xianyang, the capital of Qin, with inner and outer walls. The circumference
of the inner wall is 2.5 kilometers, that of the outer wall is 6.3
kilometers. The mausoleum sits in the southwest of the inner city,
facing east.
 |
| (Detail of Vault NO.1) |
To the east of the mausoleum lies the terracotta army buried with
Qin Shi Huang. Discovered in 1974, 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors
and horse were found in three vaults. The well modeled and proportioned
warriors are strong and firm in appearance. The horses are highly
realistic, the delineation natural and exquisite. They are arranged
in military formation, demonstrating the power of Qin Shi Huang's
army.
 |
| (Outside view of Vault
NO.2) |
The warriors carry real weapons. Over ten thousand weapons are
unearthed form the three vaults. The chromized blade of one 90-cm-long
bronze sword is free of rust after being buried for two thousand
years. Chariots and horses, one fourth of the original sizes, are
unearthed at the wings of the mausoleum and known as the "crown
of bronzes'. They are a miracle in the history of metallurgy and
a treasure of the Chinese people.
More excavations are being done to the buried army known as a "wonder
of the world" and more treasures are expected to be found.
|
