XI’AN, China – The drive from Xi’an into YiYang is a reflection of how life in this farming community has changed after the discovery of the Terra Cotta Warriors. It’s difficult to imagine the kiwi, mango, dragon fruit and statue vendors that line the roads leading to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum weren’t here 35 years ago. Today, these entrepreneurial farmers supplement their farming income with sales to tourists. They sell everything from giant fruits and vegetables harvested from their own farms to miniature replicas of artifacts found at the museum.
Life had definitely changed for one farmer – Mr. Yang Zifa. Only 35 years ago, he was one of a group of nine farmers who were digging a well in the middle of their field in the sleepy village of YiYang just outside of Xi’an. At about 15 metres into the dig, Mr. Yang found some pieces of pottery and ancient bronze weapon heads. He dug some more and uncovered a head made of pottery. Thinking that it may be worth something, he hammered off the head to sell in the local village. Little did he know, the well that he was digging was the opening to an important period of China’s history that had changed China forever, and now Mr. Yang’s life.
Mr. Yang had discovered one of 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors that once stood guarding Qin ShiHuang, China’s First Emperor’s tomb over 2200 years ago.
The Chinese government compensated the farmers and took ownership of the farming village now home to the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum.
Archeologists flocked to the site to excavate 22,000 square meters of the tomb housing foot soldiers, archers and charioteers. The sites were divided into three rooms, Pit 1, 2 and 3.
The view into Pit 1 is spectacular: it’s literally an underground army of over 1000 terracotta soldiers. Each statue is lined up in the exact formation of a military regime ready for battle. Each soldier has unique facial features, hair and creases in his clothing; no two are alike. The scope and scale of the site is truly astounding. Pit 2 is just as impressive with another 1400 terracotta warriors. Pit 3 houses the army command centre with 64 fully armoured guards.
After hiking The Great Wall just outside of Beijing and then biking through Xi’an on top of the old city wall, I didn’t think my experience in China could get any better. But peering over the edge of the tomb, I was struck by magnificence. I felt fulfilled by my first experience to China. The life-like statues in real battalion formation transported me to what the life and times of Qin Shihuang must have been like over 2200 years ago.
Qin became the first emperor of China at the early age of 13 when his father passed away. However he did not rule the state until 221BC when he turned 22. A merchant named Lu Buwei (to which his mother was originally a concubine) acted as Prime Minister and regent until Qin was old enough.
In his first year as an active emperor, Qin became the only ruler to successfully unite China’s seven warring states. In one year, he unified the Qin Empire by battling and conquering the states of Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao and Wei. This unification was an important part of China’s evolution and made up the labour force that Qin required to run his empire and build his tomb.
Qin began construction as soon as he became emperor. He wanted to take everything with him into the afterlife. Qin buried everything he possessed as a mortal. The terracotta warriors and chariots guarding his tomb found in Pits 1, 2 and 3 are only a small fraction of an underground world belonging to Qin. Archeologists believe that an entire capital exists complete with flowing mercury rivers. In 2005, further evidence of this underground majesty was uncovered in another section of Qin's tomb. A life-size model of a wetland, complete with 40 bronze birds, cranes, swans and geese were found.
Either Qin was extremely paranoid of being attacked even in the afterlife or he had an overly inflated ego because he diverted as many resources as possible to building his mausoleum. At one point, as many as one-third of China’s population or approximately 200,000 people were employed in this construction project which lasted 38 years. Perhaps it was this self-perception of grandeur and boldness that led him to successfully unite the Qin Empire; otherwise China may have remained as fragmented states. By the time of his death in 206BC at age 50, his tomb was still under construction.
No comments:
Post a Comment