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.
The Qin Empire became very wealthy. The emperor died in 210 B.C. His son succeeded him but was deposed by the Han Dynasty in 206 B.C.
Next: The Mausoleum
The Mausoleum
Qin Shi Huang’s legacy was to be projected into the netherworld. He prepared a massive building project, apparently in the image of his palatial surroundings, housed underground in a huge mausoleum with thousands of unique replicas of his royal guard, army, archers, and so on. Artifacts of this grand undertaking have been on exhibit twice now at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
In an attempt to reach immortality, the emperor’s physicians prepared special elixirs, which happened to contain quicksilver (mercury) thought to extend one’s life but which probably caused his early death.
The emperor employed some 700,000 laborers, and it required 38 years to complete the underground mausoleum—near the time of his death.
The Exhibits
The 2008 Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at the Bowers included the detailed “assembly line” of how the thousands of warriors and other pieces could have been put together. Much like modern manikins, these warriors had interchangeable parts and were probably put together on an assembly line, which was depicted in the 2008 exhibit.
However, each face of some 8,000 soldiers is different. Many domestic animals, including 520 horses with 130 chariots, were among the relics.
The 2012 exhibit contains numerous pieces from the mausoleum and also relics about life among the royals in this society and subsequent periods during China’s dynasties.
The interests of the royals in China were not much different from today. A mural depicts the men playing polo on horseback and includes rules encouraging safety. The fashions and variety of color worn by the women are also depicted.
Various decorative and unique household pieces, rare statues, and the like are included in the exhibit.
Another unique exhibit includes five (of eight) nestling jewelry boxes that were the repository of the Buddha’s finger bone. In an article published by AsiaOne, guest curator Suzanne Cahill said of the exhibit, “It is actually the cream of the crop.”
“Buddha was cremated and they harvested whatever was left,” Bowers President Peter Keller said in the same article. The bone was found in the Famen Temple, built in the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–907), an era of opulence and greater exposure to the outside world.
“When they build a temple, they have what’s called a founding deposit, which is a holy object they bury under the temple,” Cahill said. “And in this case, it’s probably the holiest relic in all of Asia, which was supposedly the Buddha’s finger bone.”
A staff member indicated that Buddhist monks arrived to say prayers over the exhibit before it was opened to the public. Unfortunately, Buddha Siddhartha’s finger bone did not arrive with the exhibit.
Among the many pieces of artwork, there is a royal terracotta-guard art piece that may surprisingly reach out and shake your hand. Enjoy your visit!
