In about 200 BC an emperor named Qin conquered 7 different tribes and created a united China for the first time. He immediately took advantage of his new power by instituting an "economic stimulus" plan based primarily on using virtually unlimited slave labor in infrastructure projects. Unfortunately, rather than roads or bridges, the projects consisted of building a massive tomb for his future use and a vast army of clay (terracotta) warriors to guard it. The tomb was hidden under a man-made hill and the clay armies were positioned around the hill in pits that were covered with wooden roofs and then, in turn, with soil. Many of the people involved with the project were either entombed with Qin upon his death or killed and the site was abandoned and forgotten until its discovery in 1974 by farmers digging a well. Only a fraction of the warriors have been uncovered (about 8000 figures so far).
No comments:
Post a Comment