Terracotta Warriors Reincarnated in California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 19, 2012 -- SANTA ANA, Calif.—Little did the world or China realize that in a small hill in the vicinity of Xi’an City (in Shaanxi Province), which was once the capital city of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, was a mausoleum patterned after the emperor’s palace compound of the Qin Dynasty. While drilling a well, local farmers working in the area in 1974 accidentally discovered ancient artifacts that included terracotta warriors and horses.

These relics were actually part of a very large underground mausoleum, built by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty almost 2,200 years ago. Until March 2012, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Calif., is again presenting rare relics from this period.
The First Emperor

Emperor Qin Shihuang (259–210 B.C.) reigned for 37 years, starting in 245 B.C. at age 13. His name was Ying Zheng before his conquest of the neighboring six states. His life reads much like a James Bond movie.

Many attempts were made on his life, starting with his concubine and her lover Lü Buwei, the king’s regent and prime minister in 240 B.C. The attempt failed, and the concubine was put under house arrest for life. Lü Buwei’s involvement was not immediately discovered, and he apparently committed suicide in 235 B.C. for fear of detection.

The young king, then 24, banished all his foreign counselors as spies. In 227 B.C., another attempt was made on his life by a lutist brandishing a lead-weighted lute.

During the Warring States Period (circa 475 B.C.–221 B.C.), infighting between the surrounding states was taking place. Yinzheng utilized his superior power, and 10 years later, having conquered the other six states, consolidated his empire.

He established the rule of law and a government led by an emperor—himself. He also took the name Qin Shi Huang (meaning Qin Emperor). All other regional leaders would be selected by the emperor and not replaced through the hereditary process that was common at the time.

The emperor established sweeping changes. A single ruling bureaucratic system of government, though brutally enforced, brought about a homogeneous system of governance throughout the newly formed nation. All former nobility of the other states were deposed and relocated.

The establishment of a single language, standardized writing system, coinage, roads, and axle widths, among many other accomplishments, made for an economic revival. Systems of education and advanced studies flourished.