BIOGRAPHY:

Qin Shi Huang held the title of the first emperor of China and was considered the founder of a dynasty that ruled in ancient times. The man went down in history as the creator of the Terracotta Army and other monuments that the densely populated Asian country is proud of today.

Childhood and adolescence:

Ying Zheng, who later became famous under the name of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, was born in 258 BC. e. in the northern Chinese kingdom of Zhao. There were several versions of the origin of the future ruler, but today no one has accurate information about his early biography.

According to a widespread opinion among researchers, Zhuangxiang Wang, the boy’s father, was a representative of a noble family who did not lay claim to power and the throne. Another hypothesis was that young Shi Huangdi was the adopted son of the ruler of the ancient Chinese state, who prevented a national split.

Since the above facts discredited the honor of the members of the royal family, it is generally accepted that Ying Zheng’s mother came from a noble family. When the head of the principality where the child was born decided to exterminate the concubines, the woman took refuge among her relatives along with her young children.

In the early biography of the head of the Asian state, a significant role went to the merchant, depicted under the name Lü Buwei. Having access to supreme power, the man weaved political intrigues and was involved in the fate of several ancient Chinese kings.

Thanks to the talent of this figure, Ying Zheng’s father eliminated his competitors and for a short period of time took the honorary supreme throne. He was soon replaced by an heir who turned 13, and the merchant, who received the position of chancellor, became the official guardian.

According to unconfirmed information, the mentor and most important adviser was not only a teacher, but also a biological father. The nobleman, who relentlessly followed the ruler of a prosperous state, made sure that prosperity did not leave the imperial house.

Personal life:

Biographers know almost nothing about the personal life of the Chinese emperor; most likely, he hid his numerous wives and children from the people. About 50 descendants from concubines of different origins did not have the right to appear in the luxurious chambers of the great kings.

Information has been preserved about the child Ying Huhai, or Era Shi Huang, who became the ruler of the Celestial Empire after the death of Qin Shi Huang. He was raised by an insidious eunuch, who eventually came to power, hated by his ward and the people around him.

Reign:

During the early years of Zheng’s reign, Buwei kept a close eye on the teenager, fearing that the truth about his origin would suddenly reach the people. He sought to get rid of the boy’s mother, replacing her with a pseudo-eunuch who committed an act of adultery and became the father of two children.

Driven by selfish motives, Lao Ai, who was a teacher, decided to bring his sons to power and seize the royal throne. The young man, who had reached puberty, learned about the insidious plot in time and, with the help of a loyal army, saved what he had acquired.

The leader of Ying Zheng’s opponents managed to avoid fair punishment; a reward of 1 million copper coins was awarded for the capture of the enemy. As a result, the short-sighted man was brutally executed, after which the Chinese ruler acquired additional authority.

After these controversial events, Ying Zheng became the rightful ruler and assumed full power as the king of the state of Qin. A director named Zhang Yimou made a full-length feature film about this troubled time in China at the beginning of the 21st century.

Chancellor Lü Buwei, who committed suicide, was replaced by a new minister and adviser, who became famous under the name Li Si. He was known as a wise politician who influenced the conquest of territories and became the main initiator of the unifying war.

The first territory to be conquered was the central part of China, which was known as the ancient Han province. Qin then took advantage of natural disasters in 229 BC. e., to conquer the kingdom of Zhao and conquer the inhabitants of the country of Yan.

The only blank spot on the list of the conquering emperor was the vast territory of the powerful eastern center of Qi. The appanage principality, which had an advantageous geographical position, was the last to join the ruler of the new powerful country.

Through the efforts of Ying Zheng, the Chinese lands were united under the rule of one ruler, which put an end to the chaos and period of national hostility. The head of the newly formed state, together with Li Si, the prime minister, completely changed the way of life, the foreign and domestic policies of the country. They transformed the principles of feudalism and divided the eternal empire into commandant’s offices, which roughly corresponded to modern regions and communities of modern countries. All that remained of the defensive fortifications was an architectural monument – the Great Wall of China, which became a place of pilgrimage for parishioners.

Qin Shi Huang managed to achieve the economic unification of China by standardizing units of measurement and unifying the network of road systems. The emperor also managed to develop a national map of routes, thanks to which the country got rid of pressing transport problems. In addition, the ruler achieved uniformity in Chinese writing; after the reforms, standard hieroglyphs were recognized by representatives of micro-countries. Thanks to innovations, news of the reunification of the provinces reached remote territories and flew overseas.

Qin Shi Huang adhered to the teachings of the ancient Eastern school of legalism, where the main idea was equality, which was determined by law. The ideas of distributing privileges and titles not by birth, but by real merit, became the calling card of the ruler and the distinctive mark of ancient times.

The emperor, famous for his cruelty towards enemies and comrades, was an opponent of free thought and the tenets of ancient Eastern schools. The era of prosperity of Confucianism and other philosophical movements ended after the young ruler usurped power and the royal throne.

By order of the head of state, the law became an approved ideology, which overnight spread throughout the territories of the conquered countries. The burning of books containing information about the traditions of the distant past horrified and confused thousands of obedient townspeople.

On the ashes of written monuments, the emperor built his own tomb, where a terracotta army of idols could guard his eternal peace. The ruler created palaces and temples on completely conquered territory, hidden from the eyes of outsiders behind the Great Wall of China.

Throughout his long life, Ying Zheng searched for the elixir of immortality; he traveled around the state and the small island of Zhifu. The autocratic ruler of the Celestial Empire perceived the hunt for sorcerers and magic fish as an adventure, a dangerous and gambling game.

The Underground Kingdom of Qin Shi Huang:

Emperor Qin Shi Huang is one of the most odious personalities in the history of ancient China. A clear testament to his power is the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the most stunning mausoleum complex in the world.

The burial complex of the tomb covers an area of about 60 sq. km. – this is an entire underground city, dug at a depth of 70 to 120 meters, below the aquifers. It has an almost square shape of 350×345 m and is oriented to the cardinal points. In the center of the underground city is the emperor’s mausoleum, and around it there are more than 500 mausoleums of his courtiers and servants.

700 thousand people worked daily to create the tomb, and construction lasted more than 40 years. Considering the fact that the construction of the underground tomb city dates back to the beginning of the 3rd century BC, one can imagine the enormity of this architectural project for that time.

It is known that Qin Shihuang became the ruler of the Qin kingdom in 246 BC. at the age of only 13 years. The ascension to the throne of the emperor’s grandson from a low-ranking concubine became possible as a result of the palace intrigues of the powerful and cunning courtier Lü Buwei. Qin Shihuang entered the annals of Chinese history as the first emperor who put an end to the centuries-old era of the Warring States and subordinated 6 neighboring kingdoms to centralized power. This unification of lands lasted from 230 to 221 BC. It was then that the ending “di” appeared in his name. “Huangdi” literally means “founding emperor”.

After the unification of the lands, Qin Shi Huang introduced a single currency, a single measure of weights and writing standards. Under him, a bureaucratic structure was formed, the principles of which are still in effect in China today. During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the scattered links of the walls were united, which became the basis of the Great Wall of China, which fenced off China from the nomads. The Lingqu Canal, 36 km long, was built, which made it possible to cover vast territories of the empire by river transport, as well as a unified road system. At the same time, the construction of the Shi Huangdi mausoleum complex at the foot of Mount Lishan, 20 km away, was carried out in parallel. from modern Xi’an.

It is worth mentioning here that, having ascended the throne as a child, Qin Shi Huang even then dreamed of eternal life. In search of immortality, he traveled to all corners of his empire and traveled beyond its borders, seeking answers from local healers and monks. As a result, not having found the pill of immortality, the emperor prepared to rule after death in the afterlife. That is why Qin Shi Huang attached such importance to the construction of the mausoleum. Everything in the mausoleum was supposed to speak of the eternal life and power of Qin Shi Huang. The plan of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb resembles the city of Xianyang, which was at that time the capital of the Qin kingdom. There was also an outer and inner city, separated by a high wall. The huge dungeon of the mausoleum was reinforced with metal beams. In its center was the hall of the imperial residence. A sarcophagus made of pure gold was installed here, surrounded by rivers of poisonous mercury. The ceiling was made in the form of a starry sky, and the floor was a map of the empire. The room was illuminated by “unquenchable” lamps; the untold riches of the imperial treasury were brought here. A pyramid-shaped structure was built above the sarcophagus so that the emperor’s soul could rush into the sky. The pyramid was hidden by an artificial mound made of dense loess soil.

The mausoleum was protected by many ingenious traps, into which a random curious person or robber would certainly fall. When the mausoleum was completed, thousands of servants and associates of the emperor were buried alive in it, who were supposed to serve him even after their death.

Although Qin Shi Huang expected that his descendants would rule for another 10 thousand years, after his death the empire lasted only three years. It fell apart, torn apart by civil strife between the descendants of the former rulers of the conquered lands and peasant uprisings. But it is strange that none of them touched the tomb and, over time, it sank into oblivion. Centuries passed before the burial mound of Qi Shi Huang was discovered.

The secret of the mausoleum was revealed in 1974, by chance, when one of the local residents, while digging a well, came across a statue of a terracotta warrior. This is how the first figure of the many thousands of terracotta troops defending the imperial mausoleum was found.

Later, more than 8 thousand more terracotta warriors with almost life-size horses were found. They were located in three rows, in ditches, at a distance of 1.5 kilometers around the tomb, as if at any moment ready to repel enemy attacks. More than a hundred wooden chariots and about 40 thousand weapons were also discovered in the tomb, not to mention numerous household items and accessories of that time.

The emperor’s mausoleum has not yet been fully excavated, although scientists are eager to find out all the mysteries of the burial. The reason for this is the cultural and historical value of the monument is too high: artifacts may be damaged during excavations, so research is carried out with caution. The tomb complex of Emperor Qin Shi Huang was the first Chinese landmark to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

Death:

While inspecting the vast domains of Qin Shi Huang, he suddenly died; the reasons for the tragic death of the emperor became a mystery of ancient times. Now enthusiasts are exploring the walls and underground of the mausoleum, where the first emperor of the Celestial Empire was supposedly buried.

Interesting facts:

The appearance of the Chinese ruler is captured in the paintings of contemporary artists who represented Asians using animated characters. But some ancient sketches have entered European collections and can be seen by people who come to a particular museum.
The personality of Ying Zheng attracts researchers due to the fact that the son of a concubine became the founder of the Qin dynasty, known since ancient times. However, few people suspect that the nickname of the creator of the Terracotta Army is a combination of common nouns and elements of proper names.
The activities of the ruler Qin Shi Huang have found a response in modern times – the emperor became the hero of literary works, feature films and theatrical plays. Events that took place in China in 200 BC. e., attract the attention of cultural society and arouse interest.