The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin(221-209B.C.), which is situated at the north foot of Mount Li in Lintong County of Shaan'xi Province, is one of the earliest and largest imperial mausoleums of ancient China. Nestling against Mount Li on the south, the mausoleum commands a view of River Wei to the north, the tumulus being the converging point of the nine redges of Mount Li which lie like nine undulating dragons giving protection to it. If one looks down at the mausoleum from somewhere on high, one will find that the floods that have occurred in history have washed gullies in the loess highland on the north bank of the river which form a pattern that looks like a gigantic lotus flower with the mausoleum sitting at the stamen. The siting of the mausoleum, described in history as "nine dragons giving protection to a jade lotus," is a fascinating topographical feature of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin.
Acording to "A Biography of the First Emperor of Qin" in The Historial Memoirs, the First Emperor started the construction of A Fang Palace and his own mausoleum as soon as he acceded to the throne. After he had succeeded later in conquering the six other rival kingdoms of his time and unifying China as one big imperial country, he pressed into service some 700,000 convicts from all over the land to work on the two massive construction. With Li Si the prime minister seeing ot the design and layout and Zhang Han the general overseeing the sonstruction work, it took the labourers a full eleven years to finally complete the two projects. According to historical document, the outer coffin in the underground vault or palace was cast in bronze, with the ceiling studded with images of the sun, the moon and a myriad of stars and with the floor featured by mountain and rivers. The rivers,lakes and seas in the underground palace were filled with mercury which flowed incessantly and other decorations in the form of rare treasures collected from all over the country were galore. To forestall any attempt by grave robbers, automatic crossbows were installed in the passageway which would kill any intruder with lethal poisoned arrows. The mausoleum is encircled by a double wall with the inner structure extending more than 2500 metres long and the outer one more than twice as long. As of today, the tumulus stands over 50 metres high with a circumference extending some 2000 metres.

Both in terms of size and of the quantity and quality of the treasures buried with the First Emperor, the Qin mausoleum had no precedents in previous history. The vaults containing the terra cotta warriors and horses that were not discovered until 1974 when local peasants were sinking wells in the neighbourhood have further established the Qin mausoleum as a world-class wonder. These terra cotta figures, standing in rows in full battle array, constitute an epitome of the military prowess of Qin under the First Emperor and are an indication of its overall national stength. After visiting the vaults,,M. Hirac, the current Frrench President, exllamied in admiration," The world used ot have seren wonders. The Qin terra cotta figures must make an eighth. A traveller who has not visited the Pyramids cannot say he has been to Egypt. Now I'd say that no one who has not seen these terra cotta figures can claim to have visited China."

It is said that in the second century B.C. a poet in Alexandria had described in a poem in glowing germs the Seven Wonders of the World, namely, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Tomb of Mausolus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Pharos of Lighthouse at Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. These seven wonders have thenceforth become a topic of great intrest among people all over the world, and they are one and all famous ancient architectural structures or sculptures. Because of their superb workmanship and the many romances that have attached thamselves to tham, they are regarded as treasures in history of civilization. Avtually such architectural wonders in ancient China as the Great Wall and A Fang Palace that had appeared in the same historical period as the Seven Wonders and were equally as magnificent as they were are symbols of the civilization of the east. It was only due to the meagre means of transportation and communication in the ancient world that they failed to become widely knowm to other parts of the world. Indeed, as soon as the Qin Dynasty pottery figures were unearthed, they created a big stir worldwise and soon become recognized universally as the Eighth Wonder in the World.

So far three vaults have been excavated in which terra cotta figures were found, located some 1500 metres to the east of the First Emperor's mausoleum. At the time the mausoleum was being built, more than 2000 years ago, these pottery figures, all life-size and made on the model of the guard-of-honour of the First Emperor,were laid out in battle order in underground vaults supported
By wooden frameworks. When General Xiang Yu (232-202 B.C),the self-assumed king of the state of Chu,captured Xinyang ,his soldiers set fire to the Qin mausoleum,burning the whole structure to ashes and causing the vaults containing the pottery figures to collapse. Thus the figures were buries in oblivion. But this wad a blessing in disguise as the terracotta objects,damaged or even broken into pieces,were thus preserved underground. Underground more
Than 2000years later,thay were then put together with great care and restored to their original state.
Of the three vaults excavated thus far,the No.1 vault is the largest,extending 230meters east to west and 62metres north to south and covering a total area of 14260 square metres .In this vault are found some 6000 terra cotta figures,forming a phalanx rectangular in shape,the main body being doot soldiers.
Some 20 metres northeast of the No.1 vault is the N0.2 vault.Shaped like a carpenter'ssquare,this vault covers an area of 6000 aquare metres and houses more than 1000terra cotta objects,mainly war chariots and cavalrymen.This looks like a battle formation of combined arms.
Northwest of the No.1 vault is the No.3vault which covers an area of 520 square metres. This looks like the command post of the forces in the two other vaults.Here are found 73 terra cotta warwarrious carrying hand weapons that stand around a chariot which carries the commanders.No doubt it was one of the found dreams of the First Emperor that even when dead he could hop on his war chariot to give comand to his army if such a need should arise,as he had when alive,in the conquest of the other states.

After some initial excavation, the No.2 and No.3vaults were filled up again. The No.1 vault, now covered by a hangar-like structure, has been turned into the Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors of the First Emperor of Qin. Open to the public, it is as large as two football fields put together. Under the arched roof, the more than 6000 pottery figures are lined up in good order in a pit about five metres deep, in the way soldiers and horses looked 2000 years ago in full battle formation.
The vault begins with a row of five ramps or inclined approaches in the eastern end that lead down first to three rows of terra cotta warriors in the front,210 piece altogether ,that stand facing east. This supposedly is the vanguard. There are three commanders who wear armour and the rest wear short battle dress, with puttees and thin-soled, low-uppers black slippers, carrying xrossbows in hand. Judging by their uniform and weapons, they must be the shock company whose lot is to charge at the head of the army. Behind the three rows are eleven tunnel passageways that lead to that part of the vault where 40 columns of troops are lined up, foot soldiers alternating with horse-drawn war chariots. Of the 40 columns, the outermost on each side stand facing north and south respectively while the 38 in the middle all look to the east. However, the last soldier in each column unexceptionally faces west. Those facing north, south and west respectively all carry crossbows and arrows, acting apparently as guards covering the main body against a surprise attack by the enemy, from the flanks or from behind. Such a battle formation is an embodiment of the military thinking of the First Emperor of Qin as reflected in the perfect organization, faultless military bearing and sharp alertness of the troops. It was this that enabled the First Emperor ot conquer with his powerful army the six other rival states and establish his domination over all of China. In the words of a historical document, the First Emperor "fought at the head of a million armour-wearing troops, a thousand war chariots and ten thousand mounted soldiers" in achieving his brilliant military feats.

Adjacent ot the No. 1 vault is an exhibition hall where there are on display,apart from some typical specimens of terra cotta figures, chariots and horses, all kinds of weapons unearthed from the vaults, including such thing as spears, broad swords, swords, lances, halberds, hooks, arrowheads and what not. There are also missile weapons lie crossbows and ordinary bow and arrow.

What makes people marvel today is that after having ben burid underground for tens of centuries, the bronze weapons, swords and arrowheads alike, have remained rust-free and as sharp as ever. These are indeed finely made things ihn the making of which not only copper and tin were used but also thirteen other kinds of rare metal, as scientists have reported. The surface was treated with chromium so that it had acquired an oxidized coating about then microns thick that could prevent corrosion. It is said that it was not until 2100 years later, in 1937, that some Germans took out a patent for the same kind of chromium-based anti-rust technology. The arrowheads are indeed scary things, with a lead content as high as 7.71%, which made them lethal. These were the first poisonous arrowheads ever discovered in human history. The unearthed weapons on display here are a good indication of the smelting technology of China at the early date of Qin.

For a long time, people had thought that plastic art in China owes a great deal to the influence of Buddhist sculptures that first came to China from India over 1500 years ago at the time of the Southern and Nothern Dynasties(A.D.420-589). With the discovery of such a large number of Qin terra cotta figures, such a conclusion must seem unfounded, since they evidence a high artistic level, as seen in their realistic touches, simple and forceful execution and plain but fine style.

In the exhibition hall is a terra cotta figure of a general that stands almost two metres tall. Wearing headgear that is shaped like a pair of dragons with curled tails, the general has on a fieled robe covered by a suit of scaled armour with a long sword hung at the waist. With flowing beard and eyes staring straight ahead, he imparts an air of self-assurance, fortitude and resourcefulness. The terra cotta cavalrymen, wearing kilt-like robes and short armour for easy mounting and dismounting and shod in leather boots with protective leggings, look vigorous and mettlesome, one hand holding the reins and the other a crossbow. Their strong-limbed, well-fed horses, heads rearing and ears pricking, look lifelike and alert, ready to charge forward in an instant. On the saddles are visible in relief such accessories as straps and tassels. The Qin artists that modelled these terra cotta figures were masters at capturing instantaneous changes of facial expressions, showing by a twitch at the mouth, the crow's feet at the eye, or the shape of the beard the inner world or even personality of a man. Using simple and bold techniques, they never seem to have overlooked meaningful details, paying attention even to the variations of the white and black pupil in a man's eyes. These lifelike plastic figures can only make on marvel.

The terra cotta figures are not just national treasures but also the pride of the nation. In terms of plastic art, they are fully comparable to the sculptures of the ancient Greeks and can rightfully be called" the Eighth Wonder of the World."