2. Emperor Qin Shi Huang and His Legacy
First we must explore the life and rule of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the monarch who ordered this large subterranean army, to appreciate the relevance of the Terracotta Army. Originally born in 259 BCE, Qin Shi Huang rose to the throne at the young age of 13 and would go on to become among the most powerful person in Chinese history.
Most famously, Qin Shi Huang founded the Qin Dynasty and united China in 221 BCE, therefore ending the Warring States era. Over the newly united kingdom, he instituted broad changes standardising weights, measurements, and money. The standardising of written Chinese characters, which set the groundwork for a unified Chinese culture spanning more than two millennia, is maybe his greatest enduring contribution.
Along with large-scale building projects including the forerunner of the Great Wall of China and a vast system of roads and canals, the emperor also oversaw But his most ambitious undertaking was surely his own mauseoleum, of which the Terracotta Army is only one component
Driven by immortality, Qin Shi Huang allegedly ate mercury pills in the hope they would prolong his life. Ironically, these might have had a role in his early death at 49 years old. The Terracotta Army, designed to guard him in the next world, was probably created in great part in response to his fear of death and yearning for endless life.
Qin Shi Huang left a multifarious and sometimes contentious legacy. Although some view him as a dictator for his strict rules and book burning, his contributions to Chinese civilisation cannot be emphasised. Finding the Terracotta Army has shed fresh light on his rule, exposing not just his great might and resources but also the advanced creative and technological skills of his day.
The ambition and breadth of Qin Shi Huang’s reign are physically expressed in the Terracotta Army. Every army warrior is thought to be a real soldier in the emperor’s army, therefore highlighting the variety and discipline of his armed forces. The emperor’s perfectionism and the artisans’ expertise of the day are reflected in the minute attention to detail in the workmanship of these figurines.