Qin Shihuang's mausoleum is located at the foot of Li Mountain, about 40 km (25 miles) outside Xi'an and 2 km west of the Terracotta Army, which was built to protect the emperor in the afterlife. Qin Shihuang, the first emperor to unify China, ascended to the throne at the age of 13 in 246 BC. He immediately began building his tomb, which was completed soon after his death 36 years later in 210 BC. His reign saw great advances in all sections of society: the construction of a vast network of roads and canals, the linking up of the western reaches of what later became known as the Great Wall, and the standardization of writing systems, weights and measures and currency. He abolished feudalism, forced the nobles to live in the capital city and divided the rest of China into 36 separately governed states, each with its own bureaucracy and defensive military force. Unfortunately, Qin Shihuang's despotism matched his dynamism: he was a tyrant who relentlessly taxed the common people, and he is bitterly remembered for his attacks on Confucianism and his order for the destruction of all non-technical books in China. He devoted the last years of his existence to a search for the elixir of life, and is believed to have died of accidental poisoning owing to his mistaken belief in the life-giving properties of mercury.
Visitors to his mausoleum who expect to recapture some of the grandeur of Qin Shihuang's reign will be disappointed. The great pyramid that once stood above the tomb has weathered away to a mound just 47 meters high, and the fabulous treasures said to have been buried with the emperor are hidden from view: the tomb has never been excavated.
Sign up with
Google
