Arrayed in military formation, the soldiers bore traces of the bright paint that must have once enlivened them. Although formed from standardized pieces—with solid legs and hollow torsos—they were evidently finished by hand so that no two figures looked exactly alike. Figures of acrobats and musicians would entertain the emperor through eternity. Find out what happened when an American stole a warrior's thumb. All rights reserved.
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Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Qin Shi Huang's birth and parentage are shrouded in mystery. The merchant's lovely wife Zhao Ji had just gotten pregnant, so he arranged for the prince to meet and fall in love with her.
She entered into a relationship with the prince and then gave birth to the merchant Lu Buwei's child in BCE. The baby, born in Hanan, was named Ying Zheng. The prince believed the baby was his own.
He ruled as Qin Shi Huang and unified China for the first time. The young king was only 13 years old when he took the throne, so his prime minister and likely real father Lu Buwei acted as regent for the first eight years.
This was a difficult time for any ruler in China, with seven warring states vying for control of the land. He introduced the king's mother Zhao Ji to Lao Ai, a man famed for his large penis. Lao raised an army, aided by the king of nearby Wei, and tried to seize control while Qin Shi Huang was traveling. The young king, however, cracked down hard on the rebellion and prevailed. Lao was executed by having his arms, legs, and neck tied to horses, which were then spurred to run in different directions.
His whole family was also killed, including the king's two half-brothers and all other relatives to the third degree uncles, aunts, cousins. The queen dowager was spared but spent the rest of her days under house arrest.
Lu Buwei was banished after the Lao Ai incident but did not lose all of his influence in Qin. However, he lived in constant fear of execution by the mercurial young king.
In BCE, Lu committed suicide by drinking poison. With his death, the year-old king assumed full command over the kingdom of Qin. Qin Shi Huang grew increasingly suspicious of those around him and banished all foreign scholars from his court as spies. The king's fears were well-founded. In , the Yan state sent two assassins to his court, but the king fought them off with his sword.
A musician also tried to kill him by bludgeoning him with a lead-weighted lute. The assassination attempts arose in part because of desperation in neighboring kingdoms. The Qin king had the most powerful army and neighboring rulers feared a Qin invasion. In , a devastating earthquake rocked another powerful state, Zhao, leaving it weakened.
Qin Shi Huang took advantage of the disaster and invaded the region. Wei fell in , followed by the powerful Chu in With the defeat of the other six warring states, Qin Shi Huang had unified northern China. His army would continue to expand the Qin Empire's southern boundaries throughout his lifetime, driving as far south as what is now Vietnam. As Emperor, Qin Shi Huang reorganized the bureaucracy, abolishing the existing nobility and replacing them with his appointed officials.
He also built a network of roads, with the capital of Xianyang at the hub. In , the First Emperor secured his northern frontier. He appointed Meng Tian to lead an army of about , to drive away the nomadic Xiongnu and construct the Great Wall and forts along the border. He used hundreds of thousands of laborers. Weights, measurements, and coinage were standardized. Under Li Si, the emperor's head official, the writing system was standardized by ordering everyone to write in the Qin script.
The rulers wanted everyone to be able to understand their orders and for the officials to be able to communicate with each other. Officials were chosen based on their ability to serve the First Emperor and obey him. To promote obedience, punishment was severe. Even the First Emperor's own son, who warned him not to kill scholars, was demoted and sent to the north to build the Great Wall — notorious as a place where people were likely to die. There were assassination attempts on the First Emperor's life.
By killing many scholars and officials and imposing his harsh rule, many people hated him. He wanted to live forever, and he may have died from poisonous substances offered by Daoists to try to gain immortality. The Qin court succeeded in unifying the empire and retaining control for 15 years.
They standardized the writing system, money, and measurements and built a lot of infrastructure. Their construction projects helped the big region prosper later. Qin Shihuang had much literature that didn't suit his rule destroyed, and many dissenters and scholars executed.
The mausoleum project built by The First Emperor and his court is thought to cover more than about 56 square kilometers. But the world-famous Terracotta Warrior's Museum covers just one part of the mausoleum complex. A knowledgeable guide can help facilitate your visit, help you avoid the crowds, and share historical information. Our tours are customizable — tell us your interests and concerns, and we'll help you to design a personalized Xi'an tour.
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