The Mysterious Warriors
Bradbury School, Chan, Airiana - 8
Who was the first emperor of China?
Qin Shi Huang (259 BC-210 BC) was the earliest emperor to rule over China. Like other Chinese emperors, he was very
mean to his subjects. If somebody disobeyed or disagreed with him, he would either force them to build The Great Wall of
China or execute them. Sometimes, their family members might also be punished even though they were innocent. Qin Shi
Huang wanted to enhance his own power in China, so he burnt many historical books and executed recalcitrant scholars. On
the other hand, he was a well organized and capable person because he set up a lot of big projects, such as The Great Wall of
China, the existence of the Terracotta Warriors and many more. These projects are now huge treasures for China. The
Terracotta Warriors were also known as the Terracotta Army.
Why did Qin Shi Huang want the Terracotta Warriors to be placed in his tomb?
Qin Shi Huang wanted the Terracotta Warriors to be buried with him in his tomb as a show of his glory. To remember the
army that triumphed over the warring states to unite China, and people used to believe that objects like statues could be
animated in the afterlife. Important or royal people like Qin Shi Huang required an after-death army to be concealed with
him in his tomb.
How do the Terracotta Warriors look?
The size of a warrior is about 5 feet and 8 inches tall. Terracotta Warriors were painted in a variety of colours, but since they
were exposed to air, some of them have turned either grey or black. Luckily, some still have their colour. If you look closely,
all the warriors’ facial features are unique. Even a facial recognition expert used a Neoface Facial Recognition, they still
couldn’t find a pair of warriors that looked identical. Some of the warriors were holding swords, others were battling with
crossbows, some were riding on chariots pulled by 2 horses, and a few were just riding on horses. It took more than 700,000
people and more than thirty years to complete this gigantic project.
How were they positioned?
They were all arrayed facing to the direction of east. Most warriors were placed in the first vault, the largest and most
impressive vault in Qin Shi Huang’s tomb. There were around 8,000 warriors, 130 chariots and 670 horses. In total that is
8800! The tomb is in Xi’an China.
When and how were they found?
The Terracotta Warriors excavation was regarded as one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. Vault one was
discovered when farmers were digging a well in 1974. Vault two and vault three were found 2 years later. They were about
20 meters away from vault one. Archaeologists predicted the construction started when Qin Shi Huang was at the age of 13.
What was the shape of a team and what does a general look like?
The warriors were divided into groups, and each group had to defeat an enemy. If a team failed to defeat their opponent, the
whole team will be killed. Each team had a general to lead the team. The generals were built slightly taller than the other
warriors. They all had a mustache and a goatee. Their hands were overlapped, with his right hand’s index finger pointing to
the left while their left hand was resting on top of his right hand. The general of each team was wearing gears that looked like
they were made out of metal instead of terracotta.
How did they know how to make such amazing weapons?
The swords that the warriors were using could go through hard-wearing armour. Nowadays, the swords being found are still
very sharp and not rusty at all. Scientists found out the swords were being coated with a layer of Chromium, which will need
4000 degree Celsius to melt. Such technique was only developed in Germany in the 20th century. Their crossbows were
made from bronze pieces. All the arrowheads were so powerful that it could pierce a hole through the enemy’s body. Their
armours were made from alloy; alloy is a mixture of metals and many other elements. The armour they wore was called stone
armour, which gave very strong protection. Where the knowledge in Qin Dynasty came from still remains as a mystery.
Some scientists even believe that Qin Shi Huang had come across with some creatures from outer space, and they told him
which materials he should use and how to carve them. With those weapons, they could win almost every single battle.
Conclusion:
When I wrote this article, I did lots of researches, from articles to pictures and
from pictures to videos. The more I studied,
the more interesting it felt. One day, if you
have a chance to go to Xi’an, China, do not miss seeing Qin Shi Huang’s tomb! Who knows, you might find a tiny stone that
is magical. According to the Chinese historical book called Shi Yi Ji, it mentioned that the aliens whom Qin Shi Huang had
came across with some unusual creatures from outer space, the creatures used a piece of stone no bigger than a grain to help
them survive. With that stone, they could light up a whole room at night! They could even throw that piece of thing into a
river, then the whole river would boil and bubble!
