On March 29, 1974, a group of farmers in Shanxi, China inadvertently discovered a enormous tomb during the construction of a well, yet they didn’t realize that this move unveiled a mystery of the past that had been sealed for thousands of years.

Built during the 200 B.C., the Qin Emperor Yingzheng’s tomb was one of the most magnificent architechtural projects at the time. As the dominator and the first person who unified eastern China, he is honored as “The Greatest Emperor”. He ascended the throne as King of Qin at the age of 13, and with several determinative battles he conquered the rest of China, called “the six states east of the mountains”, in 221 B.C. . Then he further changed his title to “Huang Di”, the word of “Emperor” in Chinese, which became the title of the highest ruler of China in the next 2,000 years. His temple name, which people call him after his death, was called “Qin Shihuang”, the first emperor of Qin dynasty. He also standardized the writing system as well as weights and measures. In fact, his tomb had been constructing since his ascension in 247 B.C. , and was completed two years after his death in 211 B.C. .

Although the Qin Emperor’s tomb is well-known for its Terracotta Army made out of pottery, the major part of his tomb remains undiscovered today due to technical limitations. This provides a huge space for the people’s imagination. Today I’m going to bring your mind to the underground army of death, exploring the secret of Qin Emperor’s loyal guards.

Stepping into the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum Site Museum, we can see four buildings in the middle of Mount Li (Lishan). These are the protections of the four pits discovered in the 1970s and 80s containing the Terracotta Army. The first pit (named by archeologists as serial number, doesn’t matter to the order) is the largest one. When you walk into the first pit, you can see over twenty lines of pottery warriors standing at the bottom about 20 feet below the ground. Each line has more than a hundred sculptures, making up a giant legion. Earthen beams separate each queue of warriors, these structures were once the support frame of the underground funeral pit. Behind the queues, almost half of the pit is still covered by earth, which means many warrior sculptures are not found yet.

The third pit is smaller with a square-like shape. Unlike the infantries in the first pit, archeologists discovered bronze chariots and horses, meaning this pit consists of cavalry and charioteers. In the showcases nearby we can see the sculptures more closely. One thing that is interesting is how every warrior has an unique face, the fine craftsmanship even carving out human eyelids. People can identify one warrior’s military rank not only from their headdresses, but also from their fat or thin body and armor. Generally, a warrior with a rectangular headdress is often a team leader with a fatter body (because he has a better diet) and iron armor; warriors with lower level are much thinner, and some of them even don’t wear an armor.

The second pit is the smallest one, yet it contains the highest command center of the army. We can see two warriors guarding the gate with several generals in the middle of the pit. In the constructor’s plan, this pit might be a place for Qin Shihuang to conduct his royal guards.

If you ask for the fourth pit, please look down outside the third pit. Under the glass, the fourth pit remains undiscovered right now.

So far, there are more than 7,000 warriors discovered in the tomb, making it one of the eight wonders of the world. However, these sculptures were mostly damaged when they were unburied. Also, the color on them shedded in afew minutes after they touched the air. Decades passed, yet less than one tenth of them has been totally fixed. The archeologists are working with the artists to try their best to restore them.

All in all, the Terracotta Army represents the highest techniques in ancient China, and tis existence itself is a miracle. I wonder if there will be any further discoveries in this fruit of wisdom and hard work. And you?