The Terracotta Army of Ancient China

Back in 260 B.C, in Ancient China, a man named Ying Zheng was born into the Qin Dynasty. This was a time of chaos and danger in China, where the land was divided into feudal states, which is why it is known as the "Warring States Period". His father, Zichu, was a prince of the Royal house of Qin. After many adventures of his own, he managed to ascend the throne of Qin with the help of a rich merchant called Lu Buwei, who became chancellor of Qin.

By 247 B.C at the age of thirteen, Ying Zheng became king under a regent, until he took control of the palace in 238 B.C at the age of 21, assuming full power of the state. With his army, he attacked and defeated the feudal states. When he defeated the last independent state in the land, the State of Qi in 221 B.C, he declared himself First Emperor of unified China, which is why he is known as Qin Shi Huang (First Emperor of China).

He had finally gained complete control of all China.

The figures varied in height, size, facial expressions, uniform, hair and weapons. It was, and still is, a testament to the amount of skill and labour involved as well as the sheer power the First Emperor possessed to enable him to undertake such a monumental project.

According to the historian Sima Qian, after the death and burial of Qin Shi Huang, the burial complex which housed the statues was raided, looted and burned by General Xiang Yu about five years after the death of the Emperor. The blaze lasted around three months, however despite the damage caused much of the army survived. They have also survived an earthquake and have thus defended their Emperor for over 2,000 years.

The site of the terracotta army was found in 1974 in Xian, China, when three local farmers were digging up wells and came across it by accident. Excavation in 1976 found new areas in the complex filled with many more statues. To date, around 8,000 statues have been recovered. The discovery has fascinated the world and is considered the 8th wonder of the ancient world.

The reason Qin Shi Huang had the terracotta army built was to protect the Emperor after his death and to help rule another empire... in the afterlife.