X'ian and the Terra-Cotta Soldiers
The Terra-cotta soldiers are truly a site to behold. Because the emperor believed in the immortality of the soul and regarded death as another form of life, he went to great lengths to build himself an ideal tomb. Elaborate and grandiose funerals became the rage and the construction of imperial tombs grew in scale and cost. Each tomb was a veritable underground palace, where the extravagance of the living world was reproduced as close to reality as possible.
One of the tombs was owned by the first emperor of feudal China. He started building the tomb immediately after he became king at the tender age of 13 in the year 221 BC. For a time he conscripted 700,000 craftsmen and convicts. It took 38 years to complete. The burial chamber was dug beyond three layers of subterranean water, and bronze was cast into it to protect the coffins from water. The tomb contained palaces and pavilions and was filled with rare gems and other treasures. Crossbows were installed which could shoot automatically at tomb robbers. Mercury was pumped in creating images of flowing rivers and surging oceans. The ceiling was ornamented to imitate the sun, the moon and stars in the sky. All childless palace maids were killed and buried with the remains of the emperor, and all the artisans who worked inside the tomb were slaughtered so none of its secrets could be divulged.
Entombed also are bronze carriages fashioned exactly as the same style as the emperor had seen in real life, and precious birds and exotic animals which symbolize his highness' hunting ground, horse barns and terracotta warriors and horses. So far 5,000 important historical relics (3,000 soldiers) have been dug from the site.
A sword that was found was made of chromium and bronze. These materials were not used in the United States until the 1940s.
Small wonder the entombed warriors are nicknamed the "Eighth wonder of the world". They are gems contributed by ancient Chinese laboring people to world civilization. No two warrriors look alike, each has a distinct personality. These pits were found accidentally in 1974 by peasants in the process of drilling a well. There are 3 buildings each the size of a football field filled with the terracotta warriors, carriages, weapons and artifacts from that era.