Terracotta Warriors
Overview
The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is located at the foot of Lishan Mountain to the east of Lintong County, more than 30 kilometers away from Xi'an City. According to historical records: Qin Shihuang Yingzheng began to build the cemetery when he came to the throne at the age of 13. Li Si, the Prime Minister, presided over the planning and design, and General Zhang Han supervised the construction. The construction took 38 years. The vastness and grandeur of the project were unprecedented for feudal rulers of all ages. A precedent for extravagant burials. At that time, the total population of the Qin Dynasty was about 20 million, and as many as 720,000 people worked to build tombs. The soil used for building the mausoleum was taken from the multi-level loess cliffs 5 to 25 meters high between Sanliu Village and the county quarry, 2,000 meters south of the current cemetery. A large number of stones were used to build the cemetery, which were taken from Zhongshan and Jun'eshan in the north of the Weihe River. They were all transported to Lincang by manpower, making the project very difficult.
The earthen tomb of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum is 43 meters high and has a base circumference of more than 1,700 meters. It is built with two layers of rammed earth walls inside and outside, symbolizing the imperial city and palace city of the capital. The inner city is slightly square in shape, with a circumference of 3890 meters. Except for two gates on the north side, there is one gate on each of the other three sides. The outer city is rectangular, with a circumference of 6294 meters, and one door on each side. The location of the mausoleum is in the south of the cemetery.
The Qin Shi Huang Soldier Toilet Pit is the burial pit of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum, located 1500 meters east of the cemetery. In the past, this was a cemetery, and local farmers discovered something that looked like a human when digging graves. In March 1974, when villagers in Xiyang Village to the east of the mausoleum were digging wells to fight drought, they discovered the large-scale toilet pit of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum between Xiahe Village and Wula Village, three miles east of the mausoleum. , only to uncover the treasure of Qin terracotta warriors buried underground more than 2,000 years ago.
The burial pit of Qin Shihuang's soldiers' toilets is located from west to east, with three pits arranged in a "pin" shape. The earliest discovery was the No. 1 Terracotta Warriors Pit, which is rectangular, 230 meters long from east to west, 62 meters wide from north to south, and about 5 meters deep. It has a total area of ??14,260 square meters. It has slope doorways on all sides and a terracotta warriors and horses pit on the left and right sides. It is now called Pit No. 2 and Pit No. 3.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang are buried together in the burial pit, which is the largest underground military museum in the world. The pit has a reasonable layout and a unique structure. At the bottom of the pit, which is about 5 meters deep, east-west load-bearing walls are erected every 3 meters. The terracotta warriors and horses are arranged in the holes in the gaps between the walls.
More than 500 samurai swords, 6 chariots, 24 driving horses, as well as bronze swords, Wu hooks, spears, arrows, crossbows, bronze halberds, etc. have been unearthed in Pit No. 1. Bronze and iron weapons. At the east end of the pit, there are 210 human-height pottery warrior figurines with different facial expressions, clothing styles, and hairstyles. They are all lifelike and realistic in form. They are arranged in three horizontal lines, with 70 people in each line, except for 3 leaders. In addition to wearing pin armor, the rest of the soldiers wore short brown clothes, leggings, string shoes, no helmets, hair tied, bows and arrows, and crossbows in hand, like a vanguard unit ready to set off. After that, there is the main force composed of 6,000 armored figurines, each holding a spear, a spear, a halberd and other long weapons of about 3 meters, separated by 35 four-horse chariots in 11 east-west passages, arranged in 38 Road column. On the north and south sides and at both ends, there is a row of warrior figurines, which seem to be guards to prevent side attacks. This team has a complete lineup, complete equipment, majestic and majestic. It is an artistic reproduction of Qin Shihuang's mighty army and has a strong artistic appeal.
Pit No. 2 is located on the northeast side of Pit No. 1 and the east side of Pit No. 3. It is a square square array with a length of 96 meters from east to west and a width of 84 meters from north to south. The total area is about 6,000 square meters. The buildings in the pit are the same as those in Pit No. 1, but the formation is more complex and the types of troops are more complete. It is the most spectacular military formation among the three pits. Pit No. 2 has an exhibition hall of 17,000 square meters, which is currently the largest and most complete modern heritage exhibition hall in my country. Yuan Zhongyi, director of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, explained: "Firstly, it is to better protect the cultural relics, and secondly, because it will take at least 5 to 7 years to clear the entire military formation from the ground. The advantage of this is that tourists can You can not only visit the local style of Pit No. 2, but also see the excavation work of Pit No. 2 with your own eyes.”
According to preliminary estimates, there are more than 1,300 pottery figurines and horses and 80 chariots in Pit No. 2. There are more than ten vehicles and tens of thousands of bronze weapons, among which the general figurines, the pommel horse figurines, and the kneeling archer figurines are discovered for the first time. There are four slope doorways at the east and west ends of Pit No. 2. There are two slope doorways on the north side. The figurine pit faces east from the west, and the main entrance is on the east side. The layout of the pit is divided into 4 units.
The first unit is located at the east end of the pit. There are 60 standing crossbow warriors in the surrounding corridor. The center of the formation is composed of 160 squatting and kneeling crossbow warriors on the east side of the eight road. The crossbowmen were arranged in a formation within a formation, standing, kneeling, rising, and shooting in turns to avoid the risk of the crossbows being drawn slowly.
The second unit, located on the right side of the pit, consists of 64 chariots (the chariots are made of wood and only the remains remain). Each column is multiplied by 8, so there are 8 columns. In front of the car are four pottery horses the size of real horses. Three terracotta warriors are arranged in a row behind each cart. In the middle, there is a hand pulling a horse's bridle. The other two stand on the left and right sides of the cart, holding long-handled weapons.
The third unit, located in the middle, consists of 19 tanks, 264 infantry figurines and 8 knight figurines forming a rectangular array, divided into 3 columns. There is a knight figurine standing in front of each horse, with one hand holding the horse's reins and the other making a bow gesture. In addition to the three chariots, each vehicle is equipped with 8 to 36 infantry figurines.
The fourth unit is located on the left side of the military formation. 108 knight figurines and 180 pottery saddle horse figurines are arranged in 11 horizontal lines to form a rectangular cavalry formation. Among them, there are 6 tanks in columns 1 and 3.
In front of each horse, there is a figurine of a knight in Hu costume, holding the horse with his right hand and pulling the bow with his left hand.
Pit No. 3 is located 25 meters from the west end of Pit No. 1, with an area of ??about 520 square meters and a concave shape. There is a chariot in front of the door with 68 warrior figurines inside. Judging from the layout of Pit 3, it seems to be the general headquarters, commanding the left, right and center armies, but it has not been completed.
Pit No. 4 has pits but no figurines, only backfilled soil.
Judging from the layout and formation of the two pits, pit No. 2 has a complex formation and a complete range of troops, making it the backbone of the battle. This method of organizing is called in the military book "a large formation enclosing a small formation, a large camp enclosing a small camp, occasionally connected by hooks, and twisted to face each other." "Sun Bin's Art of War" said: "Those who are riding and fighting are divided into three, and one is divided into three. One is on the right, the other is on the left. If it is easy, it will have more chariots; if it is dangerous, it will have more cavalry; if it is more dangerous, it will have more crossbows." Only by the organic combination of the three can we be invincible in a hundred battles. Pit No. 2 is the theoretical illustration of this ancient military strategist.
Judging from the year numbers engraved on the weapons unearthed from the Qin Terracotta Warriors pit, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses burial pit was built before and after Qin Shihuang unified China. Qin Shihuang relied on his ability to "swipe his sword to cut through the floating clouds" and "to control the talents of a group of people" to destroy the six kingdoms and rule the world. The terracotta warriors and horses reflect the Qin Dynasty's powerful soldiers and horses, and their all-powerful momentum. After the death of Qin Shihuang, Hu Hai, the second emperor of Qin, succeeded to the throne and continued to overhaul Afang Palace and Chidao. The taxation and corvee became more onerous than before, which caused a peasant uprising. In this form, pit No. 3 was terminated midway, and pit No. 4 was hastily filled before the terracotta warriors and horses could be placed. During the excavation, traces of fire were found, which may be related to the fact that King Chu Ba entered the Pass and burned Epang Palace.
In 1961, the State Council of the People's Republic of China designated the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang as a national key cultural relic protection unit. In 1987, the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses were approved by UNESCO to be included in the World Heritage List. The "Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum" was established in the arched exhibition hall built on the site of Pit No. 1 of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, which is open to Chinese and foreign tourists.
Cultural Heritage
The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, one of the largest imperial mausoleums in the world, is one of the largest, most unique and richest imperial mausoleums in the world. In fact, it is a luxurious Underground palace.
The eighth wonder of the world. After visiting the Qin Terracotta Warriors Museum, foreign heads of state and scholars believe that the discovery of the Qin Terracotta Warriors pit is not only a major discovery in our country, but also in the history of world archaeology. It can be said to be the eighth wonder in the world. A miracle, it can be compared with the Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek sculptures. It is recognized as a precious treasure of human culture in the world.
Archaeological discoveries that shocked China and foreign countries. In 1974, Chinese archaeologists unearthed more than 7,000 pieces of pottery that had been dormant for thousands of years. They were considered to be ancient miracles and the most spectacular archaeological discovery of this century. The Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses are rare in the world in terms of quantity, quality, and archaeological discoveries. They provide extremely important information for in-depth study of the military, politics, economy, culture, science, and art of the Qin Dynasty in the second century BC. Precious physical materials. It is not only an artistic treasure of the Chinese people, but also a unique cultural heritage of the people of the world.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang, a treasure house of ancient clay sculpture art, are based on real life themes. The artistic techniques are delicate and bright, with different gestures and facial expressions. They have distinctive personalities and strong characteristics of the times, showing It reaches the pinnacle of clay sculpture art, adds luster to the splendid ancient culture of the Chinese nation, and adds a glorious page to the history of world art.