Recently an interesting phenomenon has been discovered: the looks of terracotta warriors closely resemble those of modern Chinese people. Examined closely, almost every facial variation of modern Chinese man can be found amongst the warrior figures. Out of great astonishment, some people may guess the artisans practiced divination, by which they could predict the appearance of Chinese people living over 2,000 years later.

Experts don't agree by holding that the accidental discovery contains inevitability. The plastic art of terracotta warrior basically covers all Chinese people's facial shapes, which can be classified into eight types similar to the strokes of certain Chinese characters. Observe carefully, and you will find the face shapes of terracotta warriors are no more than these eight types.

'国' shape-face: characterized by rectangle face, high cheekbone, wide forehead and cheek. '用' shape-face: marked by oblong face and flat cheek and chin. '目' shape-face: narrow and long face with small features. '田' shape-face: near square shape. '甲' shape-face: wide top and narrow bottom, like the shape of a melon seed. '由' shape-face: long face with narrow forehead and wide chin. '申' shape-face: wide cheekbone and narrow ends of the face, and oval face.

Besides grasping the characteristics of these eight face shapes, the Qin's artisans also learned that different face shapes should match with unlike facial features. For example, the plump '由' shape-face matches with small eyes, nose and mouth.

Qin artisans were skilled at using tiny details to express different characters and mental states. A person's temperament is often seen in his eyes, which is no exception to the Qin Terracotta Warriors. A canny warrior is recognized by his graceful eyebrow and eyes, a brave soldier's eyes are wide and staring, while a simple and honest soldier often has big head, wide face, bushy eyebrows and big eyes.

All the eyeballs of the Qin Terracotta Warriors are simple a convex shapes. Eyes are regarded as the window to a man's heart so the artisans carved different eyes to represent the "inner world" of the different soldiers. Some soldiers have squinty eyes and a tender smile to show their confidence to win the war; some soldiers have eyes wide open in a fury, filled with hate toward their enemies; and some soldiers are looking down, shy and quiet. The soldiers looking forward have their eyeballs in the center of the eyelids, and those who looking up have the eyeballs titled up slightly. Also, the eyes of the Qin Terracotta Warriors depict a single eye-lid, which accurately represents the features of the eyes of the Qin people.

On seeing the terracotta warrior figures, we could not help praising their lifelike appearance, reflecting the deep and thorough observation on life of the artisans living in the Qin Dynasty. The wisdom of the ancient Chinese people is embodied in this magnificent group of terracotta warriors.

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Emperor Qin Shi Huang
Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang
Pictures of Terracotta Warriors
 
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