"Terracotta Army"
The Terracotta statues were buried with the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who unified the Chinese empire and connected all parts of the Great Wall of China, in the 3rd century BC. According to Sima Qian, after ascending the throne in 246 BC, the 13-year-old Ying Zheng (later known as Qin Shi Huang) began constructing his tomb. His idea was that the statues should accompany him after his death and, likely, he wished to ensure his ambitions for power in the afterlife, just as he had in life.
The statues were discovered in March 1974 by a local farmer while digging an artesian well to the east of Lishan Mountain. Lishan Mountain is an artificially created necropolis for the first emperor of China. The material for some of the statues was taken from this mountain. Qin Shi Huang was buried in 210 BC. According to the great Chinese historian Sima Qian, many precious jewels and examples of craftsmanship were buried with the emperor. Additionally, his 48 concubines were buried alive with him. Over 8,000 terracotta statues of infantrymen, archers, and cavalry were hidden underground. The details of these statues are astonishing! Interestingly, every soldier statue is unique. Each has its own distinct features, height, clothing, face, and even different facial expressions. Scholars believe that the statues were modeled after real people.
The warrior and horse statues of the Terracotta Army were made in different regions of China and then transported to the outskirts of Xi’an city. The Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences compared samples from the statues and their origins, leading to the conclusion that the horse statues were made directly near the necropolis, likely for easier transportation (the horse figures weigh about 200 kilograms). The warrior statues are lighter, averaging 135 kilograms, though their exact production location remains undetermined.
The warrior figures are considered masterpieces of art because they were handmade individually using various techniques. After being formed, the statues were fired, their faces covered with a special coating material, and then painted. The warriors are distinguished by their ranks (officers, regular soldiers) and weapons (spear or sword).
It is believed that the discovered group of soldiers was positioned to protect the emperor from the east. Similar military units may have been placed in the western and southern parts of the pyramid.
In 1987, during UNESCO’s 11th session, the Terracotta Army was included in the World Heritage List as part of the “Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.” The tomb complex of Qin Shi Huang became one of the first monuments in China to be added to this list. Visiting the Terracotta Army is often included in the official visit programs of foreign heads of state to China.
