Qin
Shi Huang (259 BC - 210 BC), the first emperor of China, ascended
the throne at the age of 13. Qin Shi Huang's reign was marked with
great advances in all sections of society: he ordered the construction
of a vast infrastructure of roads and canals and the connection of
the various border walls of his kingdom into one Great Wall; he standardized
the systems of writing, of weights and measures, and of currency in
order to simply communication and record-keeping; and he abolished
feudalism, forced the nobles to reside under his thumb in the capital
city and divided the rest of China into 36 separately governed states.
He also fostered religion, sacrificing to the gods in thanks for his
military and diplomatic successes, announcing that he had finally
united Chinal. However, Qin Shi Huangi was also a tyrannical despot
and ruled with an iron hand for many years, handing down draconian
laws, and levying large tax rates to oppress the commoners of ancient
China and maintain and solidify his tenuous grasp on the monarchy.
Construction
of the Qin Mausoleum began in 247 B. C. soon after Qin Shi Huang ascended
to the throne and was still underway at his death 210 B. C. Qin Shi
Huang ordered 720,000 conscript laborers to hurry up on building his
royal tomb. Many laborers died of hardship during its construction,
and all the workmen were entombed along with the emperor in order
to keep their mouths shut. His son, the second Qin Emperor,saw to
his entombment.
Construction
of the tomb required a large quantity of stones. According to the
historical documents, hundreds of thousands of criminals were forced
to carry stones from the North Mountains. The stone processing site
in Zhengjia Village shows that at least 750,000 square meters of stones
were used to construct the Qin Mausoleum. Stones
used for the mausoleum were carved with beautiful pattens and painted
with moisture-proof red lacquer. Seams between the stones was filled
with melted copper and tin. Crossbows were installed to kill any one
attempting to rob the tomb.
Xian Tour Routes Covers Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang
XD-3. One day private tour of Terracotta Army and Huaqing Hotspring
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