The First Emperor and his Tomb of theTerracotta Warriors Qinshihuang

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The First Emperor and his Tomb of theTerracotta
Warriors Qinshihuang

• For a more detailed description of the tomb and
  the story of its discovery, check this link
  http//www.imperialtours.net/terracotta_warriors.h
  tm

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Qinshihuang ruled in the 3rd century B.C.

• One of the most important rulers in Chinese
  history, this ruler is very complex. He was made
  King of the state of Qin at the age of thirteen,
  by the time he was thirty-eight he conquered the
  six neighboring states to unify China for the
  first time.
• Although reviled for his tyranny, Qinshihuangdi
  is also admired for many radical and insightful
  policies which later dynasties used. He brought
  together seven separate states into one nation,
  he standardized a common script and established
  uniform measurement and monetary systems. For
  effective government, he codified a legal system
  and replaced hereditary rulers with a centrally
  appointed administrative system. To improve
  industrial productivity he encouraged
  agricultural reforms and constructed many roads.
  And in an effort to limit the inroads of
  barbarian tribes, he supervised the construction
  of a defense fortification along the northern
  frontier, the first Great Wall. (Though not the
  same one that will be constructed on a grander
  scale at a later time) Although China benefited
  from these policies, thousands of Chinese workers
  died in completing this far-reaching public works
  program.

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The First Unified Empire of China
After nearly 900 years, the Chou Dynasty came to
an end when the state of Ch'in, the strongest of
the seven surviving states, unified China and
established the first empire in 221 BC. The Ch'in
empire did not last long, but it left two
enduring legacies ?the name China and ? the idea
and structure of the empire. This heritage
outlasted the Ch'in Dynasty itself by more than
2,000 years. The first Ch'in emperor was called
Ch'in Shih Huang Ti. The title of emperor was
used for the first time in Chinese history to set
the Ch'in ruler apart--as the ruler of the
unified land--from the kings, the heads of the
earlier, smaller states. The construction of
massive palaces and the ceremony of the court
further enhanced the power of the emperor by
inspiring awe in the people. A centralized
bureaucracy replaced the old feudal system. The
empire was divided into provinces and counties,
which were governed by centrally appointed
governors and magistrates. The former ruling
families who had inherited their places in the
aristocracy were uprooted and forced to live in
the capital of Xianyang. Other centralizing
policies included census taking and
standardization of the writing system and weights
and measures.
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The Emperors Tomb

• 700,000 forced laborers were sacrificed to
  construct his tomb which was begun as soon as he
  ascended the throne. All workers and childless
  concubines were interred with him to safeguard
  its secrets. According to Sima Qian's "The
  Historical Records" written a century later,
  heaven and earth are represented in the tomb's
  central chamber. The ceiling, inlaid with pearls,
  represents the starry heavens. The floor, made of
  stone, forms a map of the Chinese kingdom a
  hundred rivers of mercury flow across it. And all
  manner of treasure is protected by deadly
  booby-traps.

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• The main tomb has still to be excavated - partly
  because archaeologists are still uncertain of its
  exact location. Often Emperors amassed huge
  burial mounds simply to divert robbers' attention
  from the true site of their tomb. So the
  artificial mound that today marks the Emperor's
  tomb does not necessarily indicate the location
  of its wondrous central chamber. However, because
  high mercury levels have recently been reported
  nearby, archaeologists think they may, at last,
  have discovered it. The Terracotta Warriors, that
  you will see today, form just one of the many
  barriers the ruthless Emperor employed to protect
  his tomb for eternity.

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Though not the first free-standing sculptures in
the world, the ingenuity of the Terracotta
Warriors' design and manufacturing process were
astounding. Even though the Ancient Greeks
meticulously carved individual statues out of
stone at an earlier date than the Qin, the Qin
dynasty project held all the problems of
production on a mass scale. Tens of thousands of
individual human and animal statues were
manufactured within a series of processes that
began with the molding of solid legs.
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Methods of construction

• It was by constructing each of the hollow statues
  upon solid legs that the Ancient Chinese
  craftsmen solved the perplexing problem of how to
  make a statue free-standing. Hollow heads, arms
  and legs, made of coiled earth, were joined
  together with strips of clay and set upon the
  solid legs. After this rough model was assembled,
  a fine clay slip was added, and details such as
  eyes, mouth, nose and details of dress were
  carved into the clay while it was still pliable.
  Additional pieces such as ears, beard and armor
  were modeled separately and attached, after which
  the whole figure was fired at a high temperature.
  

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Each of the 8000 figures is unique, with
different facial features for every figure.
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• Ch'in Shih Huang Ti's harsh rule provoked much
  opposition. The emperor feared the scholars most.
  He had them rounded up and put them to death or
  sent them into exile. Many went into hiding.
  Moreover, all books, except technical ones, were
  confiscated and burned. In the last years of his
  life, Ch'in Shih Huang Ti became fearful of
  threats on his life and lived in complete
  secrecy. He also became obsessed with obtaining
  immortality. He died in 210 BC in Shandong
  Province, far from the capital of Xianyang,
  during one of his long quests to find the elixir
  of life.
• The Ch'in empire disintegrated rapidly after the
  death of the first emperor. The legitimate heir
  was killed in a palace intrigue, and a less able
  prince was put on the throne. Conditions worsened
  throughout the empire. In 209 BC, rebellions
  erupted all over China. Two men had the largest
  following. Hsiang Yu was a general of
  aristocratic background Liu Pang was a minor
  official from a peasant family. By 206 BC rebels
  had subdued the Ch'in army and destroyed the
  capital. The struggle between Hsiang Yu and Liu
  Pang continued for the next four years, however,
  until Liu Pang emerged as the victor in 202 BC.
  Taking the title of Kao Tsu, High Progenitor, he
  established the Han Dynasty.

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Legalism

• The Qin Empire relied on the philosophy of
  legalism. Centralization, achieved by ruthless
  methods, was focused on standardizing legal codes
  and bureaucratic procedures, the forms of writing
  and coinage, and the pattern of thought and
  scholarship. Characters from the former state of
  Qin became the standard for the entire empire.
  The length of the wheel axle was also unified and
  expressways standardized to ease transportation
  throughout the country.
• To silence criticism of imperial rule, the
  emperor banished or put to death many dissenting
  Confucian scholars and confiscated and burned
  their books.

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The Silk Road
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Chinese Inventions
Paper
Printing
Compass
Gunpowder
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Making Paper
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Chinese Astronomy

• Heaven was perceived as round, with nine levels
  with gates and animals guarding the entrance to
  each level

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Chinese Medicine Acupuncture
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Civil Service Exam

• Chinese officials were given rank according to
  merit earned on this exam

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Chinese Art and Tao
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Basic Understandings

• Early Chinese History
• Taoism
• Confucius
• Qin Dynasty

• Divination as evidenced in the Oracle bones
• Ancestor Worship
• Artwork reflected the importance of their
  divinity, nature, ancestors and the Mandate of
  Heaven
• Yin and Yang
• Nature reveals the method and the path
• Wu Wei Active nonaction/ separateness
• Interpersonal relationships
• Civic Order
• Virtue through correct social action
• Unification of China
• Destruction of scholars influence
• Standardization
• Grand Tomb

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• The End