Why is Emperor Qin so well known?
The Terracotta Warriors or Army were constructed over 2200 years ago to guard the Qin Emperor’s tomb. In June 1998, President Bill Clinton’s visit to China put the Warriors, the Eighth Wonder of the World near Xi’an in Central China, on front pages and television screens everywhere. The images of America’s first family standing in the pit made the surrounding ancient clay figures appear very lifelike. It was the custom at that time (2nd century BC) for wealthy people to commence building their tombs as soon as they achieved power. Confucius’ teaching that a man should not plan or build for his own funeral was disregarded as emperors and other rich people made this task one of their first priorities. The Qin emperor certainly thought it was important, as he ordered work to commence on his tomb at the age of 13. The army guarding the Qin Emperor’s tomb was discovered in 1974 when peasants were digging a well. On-going excavations have revealed a number of chambers filled with life-like c
