The Terracotta Army 兵马俑(bīng mǎ yǒng) and The First Emperor of China 秦始皇帝 (qín shǐ huáng dì)

           Welcome to Xi'an, the ancient capital of China. Formerly known as Chang'an, Xi'an was the capital for (I want to say) the majority of China's dynastic period. It was the home of the previously mentioned Emperor Wu of Han and Zhang Qian. It was the beginning (or end depending on your perspective) of the famed Silk Road. It was also home to probably China's most famous ruler, the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇帝qín shǐ huáng dì). Qin Shi Huang was the first (but not the last) ruler to unify China during the Warring States Period (战国zhàn guó). He founded the Qin dynasty(秦朝qín cháo), adopted legalism (法家fǎ jiā) as his government style, began the construction of the Great Wall of China, and built a huge, complex, and mysterious tomb guarded by his terracotta army.

           Along with Confucianism, the early years of China's dynastic period's statecraft was shaped by a concept called Legalism. It is responsible in part for the bureaucracy that characterizes the dynastic government of China. I remember in one reading I was assigned in school, a man dies, and he begins his trip through the afterlife by filling out the appropriate paperwork, fighting his way from department to department to his final rest. Even the afterlife is filled with bureaucracy! (I really wish I remembered the name of this. Next time I go back to the states I'm going to grab my old textbook and bring it home with me.) I also remember that Legalism was quite cruel by western standards, and that I explained it to my friends with a story example. There are two ministers, the minister of capes and the minister of caps. When the emperor falls asleep, a cold wind blows, and the minister of caps puts a cape on the emperor. When he wakes up, the emperor asks who put the cape on him, and the minister of caps answers. Therefore, because the minister of capes hasn't done his job and the minister of caps overstepped his boundaries, they are both put to death. So, this is the kind of environment that has been set up by Qin Shi Huang.
           Most of the Great Wall we can see today was constructed during the Ming dynasty, but the original construction was begun by Qin Shi Huang. A large part of China's land was famously difficult to maneuver through giving the empire a natural barrier. However, part of the northwestern region was open to attack from the Xiongnu barbarians, so the construction of the great wall began.

             We can't see much of the Great Wall constructed during Qin Shi Huang's reign today, but the stories of it's construction continue to haunt. Thousands of men were sent to work on the wall, many of whom never came back. It is said that, when someone died, they would simply build him into the wall. This is not widely accepted by the historic community to be true, but these kinds of stories set the tone. There is a famous story of a woman named Mengjiang Nv who waited and waited for word from her husband, who had been sent to work on the wall. She decided she couldn't wait any longer, and traveled to the wall herself. When she arrived, she discovered that her husband had already died. Because her husband was the only person she had in the whole world to take care of her, she was stricken with deep grief. People say that her crying caused a part of the wall to fall down.

           The other impressive thing that Qin Shi Huang did during his reign was to create a massive and mysterious tomb guarded by his famous terracotta army. Based on all the things he had done during his reign, it is no surprise that Qin Shi Huang wasn't a very popular ruler. There is ample evidence that he was well aware. As is with many other famous Chinese rulers who stabbed their fare share of backs to get what they wanted, later in life he began to fear the ghosts of his enemies (it is often stated that famous Chinese historical figures see the ghosts of people they have killed when they are about to die. It happens a lot in Romance of the Three Kingdoms as well as many other Chinese stories). To protect himself from his enemies in death, Qin Shi Huang built a tomb that was filled with rivers of deadly mercury said to emulate the rivers of his empire. He also had a massive army based on his army in life to follow and protect him in death. 

                 

                           I personally have had many opportunities to see the terracotta warriors exhibit. I saw it once at the Indianapolis Children's Museum and a few years later I saw it at the Field Museum in Chicago the first time my husband went to America, but this will be my first time to see the terracotta army in China. I am really looking forward to sharing my experience with all of you!




               There is an excellent documentary about Qin Shi Huang called "The First Emperor of China." I highly recommend having a look. It was introduced to me years ago by my Chinese teacher back in the States. I'll leave a link here.

              That's all for now. In the next blog I will be talking about one of the famed "four most beautiful women in China."