The Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses are world famous, attracting a large number of tourists from home and abroad to visit each year. However, they are only a part of the yet unexcavated mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang located to its west. Inside this huge mausoleum, greater things are yet to come.
Qin Shi Huangdi (259 BC - 210 BC), the first emperor of China, ascended the throne at the age of 13, when construction of his tomb began. On completion of his many conquests, he ordered 720,000 conscript laborers to hurry up on building his royal tomb. It was finished just-in-time in 210 BC for his use. His son, the second Qin Emperor,saw his entombment.
Location
The tomb of Qin Shi Huang is located in the eastern suburbs of Lintong County, 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Xian: on the Lishan Mountain in the south and overlooking the Wei River towards north. The lay of the land from Lishan to Mount Hua is shaped dragon-like according to traditional Chinese geomancy. The imperial tomb is at the eye of the dragon. The emperor had chosen well.
Dimensions
In size, the mausoleum is larger than the Great pyramid in Egypt. Seen from afar, it is a hill overgrown with vegetation. It is believed that the tomb consists of an interior city and an exterior city. The exterior of the mausoleum is a low earth pyramid with a wide base. In 2000 years, the original 100-meter-high (328 feet) hillock has been weathered down to about 47 meters (154 feet) high, 515 meters (1,690 feet) long from south to north and 485 meters (1,591 feet) wide east to west. In an area of 2,180,000 square meters (less than one square miles), many large-scale alhambresque buildings housing precious treasures are said to be buried inside the tomb.
 | | Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses | |  | | Bronze Swan Goose | |
 | | Qin Soldier's Helmet | |  | | A Suit of Armor, Qin Terracotta Warriors | |
The labourers came from three groups of people. The first were the craftsmen. The second were the prisoners. The third were the people working to repay a debt. These people had violated the rules at that time and had to pay a fine. But with no money to pay fines, they were forced to build the mausoleum. According to historical records, the mausoleum was a notorious crime scene. Many laborers died of hardship during its construction, and all the workmen were entombed along with the emperor in order to keep their mouths shut.
Also all the barren royal concubines accompanied Emperor Qin Shi Huang on his last journey.
Historical Records
 |
| Qin Terracotta Warrior's Back |
Sima Qian, a great historian who wrote in early Han dynasty, offered archeologists great insight on the mausoleum's construction. We learned from him that the tomb is huge. The coffin of Emperor Qin Shi Huang was cast in bronze. Underground Palace was gem-studded replica of imperial housing above ground. Moreover, booby traps with automatic-shooting arrows were installed to deter would-be tomb robbers. Heaven and earth were represented in the central chamber of the tomb. Ceiling shaped into sun, moon and stars by inlaying pearls and gems symbolizes the sky and the ground was an accumulation point of rivers, lakes and seas, like Yellow River and Yangtze River, which stands for the earth. It is said that the underground palace was brightly lit by whale oil lamps for eternity. Nowadays, the records in this book have been definitely proved right by archaeological findings and the underground palace of the tomb is presumably well preserved.
Remains of the Mausoleum
As a part of the mausoleum, the terracotta warriors have dazzled the world. But the materials unexcavated are also worth studying. Qin bricks and tiles, engraved with decorative patterns, are strew everywhere around the tomb. There are many satellite tombs built for accompanying Qin Shi Huang. Ministers, princesses and princes, the famous and the not so famous were inhumed there. The burial pits for horses, rare birds and pottery figures were ever regarded as the sacrificial objects to the emperor. Hence the remains from these tombs and pits are beneficial for archaeologists to make further research.
Hopefully one day, the entire mausoleum will be unearthed and displayed to the public.
 | | A Brick of Qin Dynasty | |  | | A Pottery of Qin Dynasty | |
| Admission Fee: | CNY 20 (Dec.1-the end of Feb.) ; CNY 40 (Mar.1-Nov.30) |
| Opening Hours: | 07:30 to 18:30 |
| Recommended Time for a Visit: | Three hours |
| Bus Route: | 306 |
Qinshihuang Mausoleum (Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor)
City Walls to Protect Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
Excavation of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
Hot Topics on Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
Copyright© 1998-2009 TravelChinaGuide.com, All rights reserved.
Travelers' Voices on Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
1.
Jun. 23,2009 06:01 Reply
Ms.Goh(Singapore) said:
Qin Shi Huang was thirteen when construction began. Sima Qian, in his most famous work, Shiji, completed a century after the mausoleum completion, wrote that the First Emperor was buried with palaces, scenic towers, officials, valuable utensils and 'wonderful objects,' with 100 rivers fashioned in mercury and above this heavenly bodies below which he wrote were 'the features of the earth.' Recent scientific work at the site has shown high levels of mercury in the soil on and around Mount Lishan, appearing to add credence to the writing of ancient historian Sima Qian. The tomb of Shi Huang Di is near an earthen pyramid 76 meters tall and nearly 350 square meters. The tomb remains unopened, in the hope that it will remain intact. Only a portion of the site is presently excavated.
Oct. 20,2009 08:46
Mr.Hector(Mexico) replied:
For many years Ive being interested in Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi mausoleum , you may find the satellite photo of the mound in the Google ( coordinates are 3422’53.05’’N , 10915’14” E) the size of mound is nearly 350 meters by side , so total estimated area is 122500 square meters.
The terracotta army is about 1500 meters away from Qin mausoleum
What is inside of Qin Shi mausoleum , is a great mystery , The fact that there is mercury has being proved already , but the rest I think we have to leave as it is in order not to destroy it , but deep in my mind I wish to know what is inside the tomb.
2.
Oct. 5,2009 12:45 Reply
Mr.geoffrey johnson(england) said:
i have a vase made by qin and still have yet to prove it help me and achieve greatness made in cinnabar and other curious objects
3.
Jun. 17,2009 23:35 Reply
Mr.mo(ca) said:
what were the three things that were burried in the emperor of qin's tomb
Jun. 18,2009 04:27
Ms.Ellen replied:
It is an strange and interesting question Mo. Well, the three things, do you mean soldier, horse and chariot.
Oct. 1,2009 15:39
Mr.marisa(alaska) replied:
treasures...scultures of life size soldiers...and idk
4.
Apr. 19,2009 23:49 Reply
Mr.muffinstuff(australia) said:
yes i agree mr david a form of camera could be sent down to view what lies there and would help to properly document it etc and possibly provide us with more information about the warriors etc.
May. 7,2009 16:59
Mr.Ash(USA) replied:
They know where he is buried but they cant enter because its likely the body will disintegrate after being kept in the chamber for so long.
May. 20,2009 06:57
Mr.Piet De jager(South Africa) replied:
Very little magic is left in the world today. By Sending down a camera or any other device, the very special magic of Ancient China's history will be destroyed without gaining anything significant. Let's retain something special for generations to come!!
5.
Apr. 7,2009 20:48 Reply
Mr.muffinstuff(australia) said:
emperor qin had the terractotta warriors built to help prtect him in the after life from the spirits of the dead he had killed in war.
qin ia actually in some form of tomb close by and archaeologists know where it is but cannot enter and document it because it is too weak and old for them them to explore and would collapse if any excavations were made.im in high schoolm writing this as i am studying it in my senior ancient history class.
Apr. 14,2009 16:56
Mr.David(Australia) replied:
yes are right but the Video camera they could send down to view what is down in the tomb
there say the government does not have the technology to look after what they may find
6.
Apr. 9,2009 09:24 Reply
Ms.ga(usa) said:
i went to see the exhibit in Atlanta this past weekend and they were saying that alot of the terracota soldiers and such were burned after the soliders were stripped of thier weapons and anything of value during the war of chu-hin
7.
Apr. 1,2009 10:53 Reply
Ms.nobody(alaska) said:
What was buried with emperor Sin Shi Haung?? I cant find it!!!!!!!!
Apr. 7,2009 02:59
Ms.maggie(xi'an china) replied:
emperor Qin shi huang wasn't buried here，The Qin's terracotta warriors and horses was just one part of the tomb
his main mausoleum won't develop，
8.
Apr. 5,2009 14:26 Reply
Mr.chu ke liang(fuzhou) said:
i know china history very well, any question for dynasty tong, sung, yuan, ming, ching n three kingdom bout cao cao, liu bei n xuan quan. before qin shi huang, han dynasty liu bang n hong ru conquer in 206bc.
9.
Mar. 2,2009 16:44 Reply
Mr.South Carolina(USA) said:
Was the location of Qin's tomb known before the discovery of the Warriors?
Mar. 3,2009 03:27
Ms.Cora(China) replied:
The Qin's tomb is huge and seen obviously, but the warriors are buried underground, so, people found the warriors later than the Qin's tomb.
Mar. 22,2009 14:11
Mr.Knight(USA) replied:
There were a few descriptions of the tomb written during the Han dynasty, but they never referenced the warriors. Until they were discovered by a farmer in 1974, nobody knew they existed.
10.
Feb. 20,2009 08:26 Reply
Mr.Unkown(Canada) said:
This was a very interesting discovery in the history of China.
Mar. 17,2009 11:40
Ms.tiana(jackson) replied:
but why did he have them build that tomb
Mar. 18,2009 16:37
Mr.frank (Canada) replied:
HI I THINK IT IS VARY INTERESTING TOO.
MY SON IS DOING A REPORT ON THE ARMY
ANY TIPS
Mar. 20,2009 16:19
Mr.Sharp(Canada) replied:
Hi.I have been looking to find the manufacturer of the plates called"mausoleum". They are very old,and a chinese culture I believe,correct me if I am wrong. I would like to know where and when these plates were mad.