The Silent Army: China’s Terracotta Warriors
A General of the terracotta army.
By Holger.Ellgaard - CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139378767
Buried beneath the soil of Xi’an, lies an army of thousands of life-sized terracotta soldiers, each uniquely sculpted, standing guard over the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. Discovered by chance in 1974, these warriors stand as a testament to the ambition of a ruler who sought to wield power in the afterlife, just as he had during his reign.
In 246 BCE, 13-year-old Zhao Zheng ascended the throne of Qin, the most powerful Chinese kingdom of the time. Though often viewed as barbaric by neighboring states, Qin boasted an advanced bureaucratic and military system that set it apart.
Due to the young king’s age, the kingdom was initially governed by Lu Buwei, a wealthy merchant and former lover of Zheng’s mother. Zheng’s father, once a captive in the state of Zhao, had secured his lineage in Qin. By 238 BCE, when Zhao Zheng came of age, he had gained considerable power. Demonstrating his resolve, he swiftly ousted Lu and dealt harshly with his mother’s lover - exiling the former and executing the latter.
Through a series of meticulously planned military campaigns, aided by Qin’s formidable army, Zheng succeeded in uniting China. By 221 BCE, he declared himself Qin Shi Huang, or “First Sovereign Emperor,” thus becoming China’s first emperor and establishing an important legacy.
Terracotta army formation.
By J. Arpon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19991526
A row of horses, part of the terracotta army of Xi’an.
By Ian and Wendy Sewell - http://www.ianandwendy.com/OtherTrips/ChinaVietnamCambodia/China/, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2769337
Qin Shi Huang is renowned for abolishing the feudal system and implementing profound administrative reforms. He divided the country into 36 military and administrative districts and introduced sweeping standardizations, encompassing metrics, weights, distances, written language, and laws. His reign was marked by extensive infrastructure projects, including the construction of roads, bridges, and fortifications, particularly along the Empire’s frontiers to defend against barbarian invasions.
The Emperor was equally known for his unconventional beliefs. He pursued immortality through magic, dispatching expeditions across the Empire in search of magicians and alchemists. These pursuits brought him into conflict with advocates of the Confucian order, who sought to restore the feudal system. According to historical accounts, over 400 Confucian scholars were executed during his reign. This ideological clash reached its peak in the infamous Burning of the Books incident, during which Li Si, the Emperor’s grand counselor, ordered the destruction of all texts unrelated to agriculture, medicine, or the history of the Imperial family.
Despite these remarkable achievements and controversies, Qin Shi Huang remained a relatively obscure figure to much of the modern world. Ironically, the ruler who united China and laid the foundations for its glorious history became more famous in death than in life.
In 1974, Emperor Qin Shi Huang captured global attention when a group of farmers, while digging a well near Xi’an, stumbled upon the astonishing terracotta army. Today, a museum complex built over the site preserves this discovery.
The Silent Army
About a century after the Emperor's burial, the Chinese historian Sima Qian wrote that work on the mausoleum began in 246 BCE, shortly after Emperor Qin succeeded his father as King of Qin. According to Sima Qian, the project eventually involved hundreds of thousands of conscripted workers from all corners of the Empire. He claimed that the first emperor was buried with palaces, towers, officials, valuable artifacts, and wondrous objects. He described 100 flowing rivers simulated using mercury, with a ceiling above them decorated to represent the heavenly bodies, and the features of China's unified lands depicted below.
The Terracotta Army, undoubtedly the most famous part of the complex, consists of a collection of over 8,000 life-sized terracotta sculptures, including soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, all located in pits near Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum. Beyond military figures, archaeologists have uncovered terracotta sculptures of officials, acrobats, and musicians in other pits.
The figures, dating from approximately the late 200s BCE, are life-sized, typically ranging in height from 175 cm to about 200 cm. They vary in height, uniform, and hairstyle according to rank, with each figure’s face uniquely crafted.
The hyper-realistic detail in the sculptures, from the warriors’ uniforms and weapons to the halters of the horses, reflects remarkable craftsmanship and advanced techniques of potters and bronze-workers of the era. The details, which can be gathered from the statues are a testament to China’s organization of its military power during that period of time.
Originally, the figures were painted in vivid colors, which gave them a lifelike appearance. However, the dry climate in Xi’an caused the paint to flake and peel off within just four minutes of excavation, leaving most of the figures bare today.
Terracotta soldier with some of the colors still intact.
By Lindy Buckley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/lindybuckley/26408821562/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139583581
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
The Terracotta Army represents just one remarkable element of the vast mausoleum complex of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, located at the northern base of Mount Li.
Construction of the site began in 246 BCE, and today, the central burial mound rises to a height of 51.3 meters within a rectangular, double-walled enclosure oriented along a north-south axis.
Spanning an area of 56.25 square kilometers, the complex encompasses more than 600 archaeological sites, including the Terracotta Army, burial tombs, and other architectural remains. It is the largest preserved imperial mausoleum in China, and its design reflects the grandeur and ambition of its creator. The layout mirrors the urban plan of the Qin capital, Xianyang, with the imperial palace at its heart, surrounded by city walls and further encircled by additional fortifications. This meticulous arrangement served as a symbolic microcosm of the unified empire Qin Shi Huang sought to build and protect from external threats. The terracotta warriors, positioned around the tomb, stand as eternal guardians of the emperor, their gaze outward to defend against invaders. (Source)
The emperor's actual tomb remains unexcavated, a decision driven by a commitment to preservation and the lessons learned from the discovery of the Terracotta Army. The deterioration of the colors of the soldiers upon exposure to air, prompts caution about disturbing the delicate site further.
The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang stands as a monumental testament to the might and vision of the Qin Emperor, which emerged as a dominant ruler in the 3rd century BCE. He achieved an unprecedented level of political, military, and economic power while advancing the cultural and artistic sophistication of ancient China. The site symbolizes the beginning of a unified Chinese empire, a legacy that continues to endure, rich with history and cultural significance.
Mount Li before the excavation.
By 申威隆 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28550720