Interesting Facts About China

The Terracotta Army

In 1974, a group of farmers in the province of Shaanxi were digging in a well when they uncovered thousands of life-size figures that were modelled after soldiers, horses, and chariots. This army was made of terracotta and seemed to be guarding what looked like a tomb. After further research was conducted, it was determined that this tomb belonged to Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the united China that exists today.

Born in 259 B.C., Qin was the emperor who united each of the warring provinces after 200 years of conflict to establish the Chinese nation. Qin is also the emperor after whom China was named (Qin is actually pronounced “Chin”). The reason why the terracotta army had been placed in the tomb was so that the soldiers could ensure Qin’s protection in the afterlife.