XI'AN, China - This is a story that began two
centuries ago with the death of a king, he with the thick, long beard and a
black dragon robe buried somewhere at the foot of a mystical mountain in a
mausoleum the size of a city.
There is an army of at least 8,000 men. They
are standing, strong and brave, in battle formation, with their chariots and
armory; their horses and weapons, swords and shields, axes and crossbows, in
strict accordance with the Art of War.
They have been standing for over 2,200 years, before
the birth of Christ, ready for war yet there is no war.
This is the story of the magnificence of the
terra-cotta army, an army for the afterlife of King Zheng of Qin, better known
by his modern Chinese name Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor whose leadership
ended the warring states era and unified China.
I am inside the museum, here in Xian, looking
in awe at the gallant guardians of the emperor, discovered in 1974 by local
farmers in the Lintong District of Xi'an in the province of Shaanxi. The
farmers discovered ancient bronze weapons and broken terra cotta pieces while digging
a well, instantly attracting archeologists all over the world.
The warriors are life size terra-cotta figures
with designs so intricate that archeologists believe they were designed after
the men from the actual army of the Qin Dynasty.
Each and every soldier, horseman, longbow
bearer, archer and general are well positioned in grand ancient
army formation.
The figures are in three different pits inside the museum complex,
not far from the emperor's tomb. They include warriors, chariots and horses.
Many are still buried and have yet to be unearthed.
The first pit, opened to the public in 1979, is
the largest, showing columns of soldiers at the front followed by war chariots
at the back while the second pit contained over a thousand warriors.
Archeologists discovered it 20 meters northeast of Pit 1.
The third pit, believed to be command center of
the armed forces, went on display in 1989 with 68 warriors, a war chariot and
four horses, according to the website, xi’antourism.com.
Built over a period of 38 years by more than
700,000 men, the terra-cotta warriors were made to guard the emperor in his
after life and to honor the brave warriors of the Qin Dynasty who helped unify
China. It is considered to be one of the most significant archeological works
in the 20th century.
Visitors to the museum will agree.
This army for the afterlife is of such grand
scale and magnificence, that one may feel transported to another dimension,
somewhere between life and death and death and beyond and see each and every
warrior come to life.
I almost heard generals commanding their men,
horses galloping and chariots moving back and fourth, guarding the emperor’s
dynasty.
One is brought in an instant to the chaotic
ancient warring states period where Chinese leaders competed for power until
the emperor Qin asserted supremacy and used his army to unify China.
It is a story from forgotten times yet the reminders
are as vivid as life, as complex as war and as immortal as the afterlife.
Why the emperor built his army of clay with
such breathtaking magnificence and grandeur is a secret buried with him; many
questions remain unanswered.
What is clear, for sure, is that his secrets
are safe, guarded by the more than 8,000 men; as safe as he is as they guard
him round the clock for more than 2,000 years now, wherever he is, somewhere,
somewhere out there between a grass covered mountain where his body lies
untouched even by the bravest archeologists, and the great beyond.
