| The first Qin
Emperor named himself for the mythical Yellow (huang) Emperor. He ruthlessly
conquered several warring states pulling together one empire, founding the
Qin dynasty -- from which China gets its name. He united his empire with
a system of paved roads and standardized currencies, weights, and measuring
systems. He joined several defensive earthenwork walls to form the Great
Wall of China. He also was a strict Legalist who burned the works of the
Zhou philosophers Kungfuzi and Laozi, and of anyone else with whom he disagreed.
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His most remarkable
accomplishment is his tomb
in Xian, Shaanxi Province,
which has not yet been fully excavated. What has been uncovered are over
6000 lifesize terracotta statues of warrior of various ranks -- no two of
which are the same. The statues have been reconstruted and arranged in battle
formation rows as they were originally placed. For more info on these remarkable
statues see:
The Chinese Emperor's Eternal Armies
on the Jade Dragon website. The uncovering ang piecing together of these
remarkable statues is a mamoth undertaking -- and the site has become one
of China's most popular tourist sites. |
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all photos by Steve Moorhouse and Jana Russ © 2000
- See also the Asian Armor page
- Return to China Resource Page
- Return to J. Russ home page