Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Welcome to one of the most significant archaeological sites in human history, the final resting place of Ying Zheng, the man who became Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of a unified China. As you stand here, you are standing…

Directly before you rises the great tumulus, a man-made mountain of earth that serves as the marker for the Emperor’s central burial chamber. According to the records of the historian Sima Qian, writing a century after the event,…

We now enter the most breathtaking section of the entire necropolis, Pit 1, housing the bulk of the legendary Terracotta Army. Standing in this space, you are looking at over six thousand warriors, though only a portion have been…

While Pit 1 contains the main body of infantry, Pits 2 and 3 provide a fascinating look at the specialized military strategies of the Qin Dynasty. Pit 2 is notably more complex in its organization, containing a mix of cavalry,…

In a 50-meter long exploratory pit near the central tumulus, archaeologists made one of their most exquisite finds: two bronze chariots, crafted at half-scale but perfect in every detail. These are not mere models; they are…

The necropolis was designed as a complete environment for the Emperor, encompassing more than just his military might. In the southeastern portion of the outer court, archaeologists discovered a cache of figures that represent…

To understand the true nature of the Qin Dynasty, one must look at the workers' cemetery located outside the outer walls to the West. Here, the remains of the hundreds of thousands of laborers who built this monument reveal a…

As we finish our journey through the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, we are left with a complex image of a man and a dynasty that changed the world. Despite his quest for an elixir of life and a reign of ten thousand years,…