Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang

The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin lies to the south among the cascading peaks of Mount Li, surrounded by lush forests; to the north lies the shore of the Wei River, which twists and turns like a silver snake. The tall tomb is surrounded by towering peaks and is integrated with Lishan Mountain. It has beautiful scenery and unique environment. The mausoleum is large in scale and majestic. The total area of ??the cemetery is 56.25 square kilometers. The original height of the seal on the mausoleum was about 115 meters, and it is still 76 meters high. There are two layers of inner and outer city walls in the cemetery. The inner city has a circumference of 3840 meters, and the outer city has a circumference of 6210 meters. There are walls about 8-10 meters high inside and outside the city walls, the ruins of which still remain today. The tomb area is in the south, and the dormitory and toilet buildings are in the north.

Qin Shihuang is an outstanding statesman and military strategist in Chinese history. His surname is Zhao[1][2], and he is the son of King Zhuangxiang of Qin. He was born in Handan, Zhao State, in 259 BC. In 246 BC, he was established as King of Qin at the age of 13, and he was crowned and took charge at the age of 22. In the 15 years from 236 BC to 221 BC, the Qin State successively destroyed the six vassal states of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, completely ending the history of the Warring States Period. In the blood and fire, , established the first unified, multi-ethnic, centralized dynasty of prefectures and counties in Chinese history - the Qin Dynasty. "The king of Qin swept Liuhe, how majestic the tiger was; he wielded his sword to cut through the floating clouds, and all the princes came to the west." Qin Shihuang, this all-powerful monarch, not only left a great legacy for future generations, but also left behind this mysterious palace. Royal Cemetery.

The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is the first emperor’s cemetery in Chinese history. Its huge scale and rich burial objects rank first among the imperial mausoleums of all dynasties. In accordance with the principle that Qin Shihuang would continue to enjoy glory and wealth after his death, the cemetery was built after the layout of Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty. It is generally in the shape of a zigzag. There are two layers of inner and outer city walls built around the mausoleum. The inner city wall of the cemetery has a circumference of 3870 meters, and the outer city wall has a circumference of 6210 meters. The large-scale ground-level buildings that have been discovered in the mausoleum area include the dormitory hall, the banquet hall, the Yuan Temple official residence and other ruins. According to historical records, Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum is divided into two parts: the cemetery area and the burial area. The cemetery covers an area of ??nearly 8 square kilometers, with an outer building and an inner city. The enclosure is in the shape of a square cone. The seal of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum forms a three-level staircase, shaped like an overturned bucket, with an approximately square bottom, with a bottom area of ??about 250,000 square meters and a height of 115 meters. However, due to more than two thousand years of wind and rain erosion and man-made destruction, the current bottom area of ??the seal has been reduced. It is about 120,000 square meters and has a height of 87 meters (another information: the cemetery was originally 120 meters high, "as tall as a mountain", but was later reduced by more than 40 meters due to weathering erosion and man-made destruction). The total area of ??the entire mausoleum is 56.25 square kilometers. Building materials are shipped from Hubei, Sichuan and other places. In order to prevent the river from washing the tomb, Qin Shihuang also ordered that the north-south water flow be changed to east-west direction.

There is a mound in the south of the cemetery, 43 meters high. There are two rammed earth walls inside and outside. The inner city has a circumference of 3890 meters and the outer city has a circumference of 6249 meters, symbolizing the imperial city and palace city respectively. Between the inner city and the outer city, archaeologists discovered horse burial pits, pottery figurine pits, and rare birds and animals pits, as well as human sacrifice pits, stable pits, prison pits, and tombs of the people who repaired the tomb outside the mausoleum. More than 400 tombs have been discovered.

The tomb of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum is 55.05 meters high and 2,000 meters in circumference. After investigation, it was found that the entire cemetery covers an area of ??220,000 square meters and contains large-scale palaces and pavilions. The shape of the mausoleum is divided into two parts: inner and outer. The inner city is a square with a circumference of 2525.4 meters, and the outer city has a circumference of 6264 meters. The scale of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum is far beyond that of the Egyptian pyramids.

The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is the first royal cemetery in China. Among the nearly 100 imperial tombs in China, it is famous for its large scale and rich burials. In 1956, the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government announced it as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit. In 1961, it was announced as the first batch of key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi as the first batch of key cultural relics protection units. It is included in the world cultural heritage protection catalog and has become the common wealth of all mankind. In 2002, the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang was awarded the national AAAA level tourist attraction.

The pyramids of ancient Egypt are the largest above-ground royal tombs in the world, and the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang in China is the largest underground royal tomb in the world.

The Qin Dynasty is a glorious page in Chinese history, and the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang embodies the highest achievements of Qin Dynasty civilization. Qin Shihuang took all his glory and wealth underground. The underground palace of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum is the core part of the mausoleum building and is located under the mound of earth. "Historical Records" records: "Three springs were passed through, and copper was lowered into the coffin. The palace watched hundreds of officials, and the strange utensils and strange objects were filled with them.

Use mercury to infuse hundreds of rivers, rivers and seas. It has astronomy at the top and geography at the bottom. Use the mermaid paste as a candle to save the immortal for a long time. "The archaeological discovery of the underground palace covers an area of ??about 180,000 square meters, and the depth of the center point is about 30 meters. The cemetery is centered on the mound of earth, surrounded by numerous burials. It is rich in connotation and unprecedented in scale. In addition to the famous terracotta warriors and horse burial pits and the bronze chariot and horse pits, In addition, more than 600 large-scale stone armor pits, hundreds of opera figurine pits, civil official figurine pits and accompanying tombs have been discovered. Over the past few decades, more than 100,000 cultural relics have been unearthed in the Qin Mausoleum. There are many cultural relic exhibition stands displaying some of the cultural relics unearthed from the Qin Mausoleum in the past 20 years; a waterway exhibition area is arranged to reproduce the scientific and thorough drainage facilities in the cemetery at that time; I believe that with the progress of archaeological work, there will definitely be greater significance An unexpected discovery.

Among the dignified green and tall tombs, in order to allow visitors to experience the honor and majesty of the king, a large-scale "re-enactment" was staged in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. The "Guard of Honor - Changing of the Guard Ceremony of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Guards" performance and the sand table model display of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum area, cemetery and underground palace integrating "sound, light and electricity" reproduced the spectacular scene of the mysterious cemetery more than 2,000 years ago. It displays decades of archaeological results, vividly and intuitively reveals the mystery of the Qin Mausoleum, and demonstrates its rich connotations.

The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is the first imperial cemetery in Chinese history and a symbol of the diligence and intelligence of our country's working people. The crystal is a historical and cultural treasure house, famous for its large scale and rich burials among all feudal emperors' tombs.

According to "Historical Records: The Chronicles of Qin Shihuang", the tombs were dug all the way to the underground springs. There is a copper-reinforced base with a coffin placed on it... The tomb is filled with rare treasures. The key points in the tomb are equipped with crossbows with sharp arrows. Anyone who robs the tomb will be shot to death if they approach. It is full of mercury, symbolizing rivers, lakes and seas; the top of the tomb is inlaid with luminous pearls, symbolizing the sun, moon and stars; fish oil is used to burn lamps in the tomb to ensure eternal light...

10 cities discovered in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang*** The north and south city gates are on the same central axis as the south gate of the inner wall. The north side of the tomb is the central part of the cemetery. There are tomb passages on the east, west and north sides leading to the tomb chamber. There are also 4 building remains juxtaposed on the east and west sides. Some experts believe that they are. Part of the palace building. The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang embodies the etiquette of "death as life", with a large scale, majestic momentum, and a unique structure.

The center of the mausoleum is where the coffin of Qin Shihuang is placed, and the surroundings of the mausoleum are. There are more than 400 burial pits and tombs covering an area of ??56.25 square kilometers. The main burial pits include the copper chariot pit, the horse pit, the pit of rare birds and animals, the stable pit, and the pit of terracotta warriors and horses. Over the years, more than 50,000 important historical relics have been unearthed. . A group of two large painted bronze chariots and horses - Gaocha and Anche - were unearthed in 1980. They are the largest, most gorgeously decorated, most realistic and complete ancient bronze chariots and horses found in China so far. , known as the "Crown of Bronze."

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit is the burial pit of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, located 1,500 meters east of the cemetery. It was discovered by local farmers who dug a well in the spring of 1974. Treasures that have lasted for thousands of years have been revealed and are known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." It provides very precious physical data for the study of the military, politics, economy, culture, science and technology of the Qin Dynasty, and has become a valuable asset of human culture in the world. Three pits of terracotta warriors and horses have been excavated. The pits sit from west to east and are arranged in the shape of "pin". There are more than 8,000 pottery figurines and horses in the pits, as well as more than 40,000 bronze weapons.

The ceramic sculpture art works in the pit are imitations of Qin Su Weijun. Nearly 10,000 ceramic guards holding bows, arrows, and crossbows, or holding bronze swords, spears, and halberds, carrying crossbows to advance, or driving chariots and horses, formed four arms: infantry, crossbow, chariot, and cavalry. All guards in underground tunnels are placed facing east. According to drilling, it is known that there are three funerary pits in ***, of which the No. 1 pit discovered in 1974 is the largest. It is 230 meters long from east to west, 62 meters wide from north to south, and about 5 meters deep. A long corridor and 11 passage holes make up the entire pit. More than 6,000 warrior figurines, the same size as real-life horses, arranged in a square formation, and pottery horses pulling chariots were placed in the pit. About 20 meters northeast of Pit No. 1 is Pit No. 2, which was discovered in the spring of 1976. It is another spectacular military formation. Pit No. 2, which is 84 meters wide from north to south and 96 meters long from east to west, covers an area of ??9,216 square meters and has a construction area of ??17,016 square meters. There is a combined lineup of multiple arms in Pit No. 2, including infantry, chariots, cavalry and crossbowmen.

To the west of Pit No. 2 is Pit No. 3, which was only opened to tourists on October 1, 1989. Pit No. 3, which is 24.5 meters wide from north to south and 28.8 meters long from east to west, covers an area of ??more than 500 square meters. According to the inference of relevant experts, Pit No. 3 is considered to be the military curtain used to command Pit No. 1 and Pit No. 2. A chariot, 68 guard figurines and weapons are all kept in the pit.

Since 1974, three pits of terracotta warriors and horses have been discovered 1.5 kilometers east of the cemetery. The finished products are arranged in a zigzag shape, covering an area of ??more than 20,000 square meters. 8,000 pottery figurines and hundreds of chariots have been unearthed. and tens of thousands of physical weapons and other cultural relics. Pit No. 1 is the "Right Army" and contains about 6,000 pottery figurines and horses as big as real horses. Pit No. 2 is the "Left Army" and contains more than 1,300 pottery figurines and horses, as well as chariots. 89 vehicles. It is a mixed formation composed of infantry, cavalry, and chariots. It is also the essence of the Qin Terracotta Warriors Pit. Pit No. 3 has 68 warrior figurines, 1 chariot, and 4 pottery horses. The headquarters that commands the underground army. This military formation is the epitome of the Qin army's organization. In 1980, a large bronze chariot and two horses were unearthed on the west side of the cemetery. Arousing shock and attention from all over the world, these pottery figurines and horses organized according to the military formations at that time provided vivid physical data for the study of the Qin Dynasty's military organization, combat methods, and cavalry and infantry equipment. The discovery of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses has been hailed as "the eighth wonder of the world" and "one of the great discoveries in the archaeological history of the twentieth century." The realistic techniques of Qin Terracotta Warriors have attracted world attention as an art that connects the past and the future in the history of Chinese sculpture. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum has been established in pits 1, 2 and 3 and is open to the public.

The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is one of the largest, most unique and richest imperial tombs in the world. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum are valuable treasures of the world's human culture, comparable to the Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek sculptures, and their discovery itself is China's most spectacular archaeological achievement in the 20th century. They fully demonstrate the ingenious artistic talents of the Chinese people more than 2,000 years ago and are the pride and precious wealth of the Chinese nation. Former French President Chirac praised it as the "eighth wonder of the world", making the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang known to more people. The crown of world cultural heritage adds even more luster to the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang.

[Edit this paragraph] Cemetery Project

"The King of Qin swept Liuhe, what a majestic sight the tiger looked at, and sentenced 700,000 people to the Tulu Mountain."

This This popular poem was written by the great poet Li Bai. It eulogizes the glorious achievements of Qin Shihuang and describes the grandeur of the Lishan Tomb project. Indeed, the mausoleum project is unprecedented in its scale, number of workers, and duration.

The construction of the cemetery project accompanied Qin Shihuang's political career throughout his life. When he first ascended the throne of king at the age of 13, the construction of the cemetery began. Qin Shihuang was not the first emperor to build mausoleums during his lifetime. As early as the Warring States Period, it had become a common practice for princes and kings to build tombs during their lifetimes. For example, Zhao Suhou's "Shou Mausoleum was built in the fifteenth year", and the tomb of King Zhongshan in Pingshan County was also built during his lifetime. Qin Shihuang just advanced the time when the monarch built the mausoleum during his lifetime to the early stage of his accession to the throne. This was a slight improvement of Qin Shihuang. The construction of the cemetery took more than 30 years and was not completed until the death of Qin Shihuang. The second emperor succeeded to the throne, and it took more than a year to build the cemetery before it was basically completed.

Throughout the cemetery project, it can be divided into three construction stages. The 26 years from King Qin's accession to the throne to the unification of the country was the initial stage of the cemetery project. At this stage, the design of the cemetery project and the construction of the main project were carried out successively, and the scale and basic layout of the cemetery project were initially established. From the unification of the country to the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shi Huang, nine years were considered a period of large-scale construction of the cemetery project. After nine years of large-scale construction by tens of thousands of people, the main body of the cemetery has been basically completed. From the 35th year of Qin Shihuang to the winter of the second year of Emperor Qin's reign, it lasted more than 3 years and was the final stage of the project. This stage is mainly engaged in the finishing works and soil covering tasks of the cemetery. Although the mausoleum project took so long, the entire project was still not completed. At that time, a magnificent peasant uprising broke out in history. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's subordinate Zhou Wen led his troops to quickly attack the area near Xinshui, less than a few miles away from the cemetery (near today's Xinfeng Town, Lintong County). Faced with the overwhelming force of the army and the intimidation of Xianyang, the new emperor II, who had not been tempered by wind and rain, panicked and summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. He looked devastated and begged the officials to "what can be done". At this time, the Shaofu ordered Zhang Han to suggest: "The thieves have arrived, and we are in front of all the frontiers. We can't get close to the county now. There are many bandits in Lishan. Please pardon them and send troops to attack them."

"The second emperor immediately catered to him and asked Zhang Han to lead the army to build the mausoleum to fight back against Zhou Wen's rebel army. At this point, the cemetery project that had not been fully completed had to be suspended.

In short, the cemetery project consists of site selection, design, construction and construction It was forced to stop in the end and lasted for 37 to 38 years. It ranked first in the history of mausoleum construction in my country. Its construction took 8 years longer than the Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt.

[Edited version] Section] The legend of Qin Ling Feng Shui

Lishan is famous for its unique hot springs and scenery. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, King You of Zhou and his concubine Bao Si once performed a beacon fire drama here. It is a historical tragedy that ruined the Western Zhou Dynasty. According to legend, Qin Shihuang met the goddess in Mount Li during his lifetime. During the tour, he wanted to play with the goddess. In anger, the goddess spit on his face, and Qin Shihuang soon developed sores all over his body. Although this is a mythical story, it can be seen that Qin Shihuang and Lishan seem to have some fate. His cemetery was also chosen next to Lishan. Why was Qin Shihuang so obsessed with Lishan?

The ancients regarded the choice of a cemetery as a major event that would benefit future generations. Especially the feudal emperor Qin Shihuang, who wanted to be passed down to all generations, naturally paid more attention to the location of the cemetery. The reason why he wanted to be buried in Lishan Mountain was. According to Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty, "The First Emperor of Qin had a grand burial and built a tomb on Lirong Mountain, named Lantian. Its yin was rich in gold and its yang was rich in jade. The First Emperor was greedy for its good reputation, so he was buried there. "Li Daoyuan's view is affirmed by most scholars in the academic world. However, some scholars have raised objections. Those who hold negative opinions believe that the selection of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum in Lishan Mountain depends on the etiquette of the time and the "dependence on Influenced by the traditional concept of "building a mausoleum on a mountain". (See "Exploration of the Origin of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum" and "Wenbo" Issue 5, 1990.) Now from the perspective of Feng Shui, Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum can be regarded as an ideal Feng Shui treasure land.

< p> As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the concept of building a tomb close to a mountain has emerged. Later, when people chose a cemetery, they paid special attention to the geographical environment of the mountain and the river. " (See the "Secret Burial Sutra of the Original Tomb of the Han Dynasty") The ancients regarded mountains and rivers as the best geomantic treasures. As for when this concept began, there is no way to know. It should be said that Qin Shihuang's mausoleum was built "close to mountains and rivers" It is a model. The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin is adjacent to Lishan Mountain in the south and the Weishui River in the north. This is a fact that everyone has witnessed. However, there is also an artificially modified fish pond on the east side of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. According to the "Shui Jing Zhu": " The water comes out of the northeast of Lishan Mountain and flows northward. Later, the First Emperor of Qin was buried in the north of the mountain. The water passed by and meandered, turning from the east to the north. The First Emperor built a mausoleum and collected soil. The land was deep and the water accumulated into a pond, which is called a fish pond... …The water in the pool flows northwest and passes to the north of the Tomb of the First Emperor. "It can be seen that the water in Yuchi originally came from the northeast of Lishan Mountain, and the water flowed from south to north. Later, when the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum was built, an east-west dam was built on the southwest side of the cemetery. The dam is more than 1,000 meters long and generally more than 40 meters wide. The widest With a height of more than 70 meters and a residual height of 2 to 8 meters, it is what people usually call the Wuling site. It is this dam that changes the Yuchi water that originally came from the northeast of Li to the northwest and flows around the northeast of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. On the east side of the cemetery, there is an endless stream of hot spring water. According to the "Shui Jing Zhu": "There is hot spring water in the southwest of Yuchi Water, which has been used to treat diseases." "San Qin Ji" says: "There is a hot spring in the northwest of Lishan Mountain. "It can be seen that the hot springs at that time corresponded to the fish pond water in the northwest. From this, it is not difficult to find that the Feng Shui characteristic of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum is that it is backed by mountains in the south, and is surrounded by water on three sides on the east, west and north sides. Isn't "surrounded by mountains and water" the same as Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum? Is it a specially chosen geomantic treasure site?

The Qin Dynasty’s concept of building mausoleums “surrounded by mountains and rivers” had a profound impact on the construction of mausoleums by later generations, such as Gaozu Changling, Emperor Wen’s Ba Tomb, and Emperor Jingyang. The Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang and the Mausoleum of Emperor Wu were chosen based on the Feng Shui idea of ??"surrounding mountains and rivers". Tombs of subsequent dynasties basically inherited this idea of ??building mausoleums.

[Edit this paragraph] Feiyan?

What are the precious funerary objects in Qin’s Underground Palace? This has given rise to many magical legends.

< p> "The Story of Sanfu" records that after King Xiang Yu of Chu entered the Pass, he used 300,000 people to rob the Qin Tomb. During their excavation, a golden goose suddenly flew out of the tomb, and this magical flying goose kept heading towards it. Flying south. Hundreds of years passed, and during the Three Kingdoms period (the first year of Baoding), an official named Zhang Shan was serving as the governor of Rinan. One day, someone sent him a golden goose, and he immediately took it from the golden goose. The text on it indicates that this object came from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor.

Is there any historical basis for this magical legend? In recent years, some scholars have written articles and pointed out: "Although this is a legend, it shows that the cultural relics in the Qin Mausoleum were once lost to the outside world and reached as far south as Yunnan. As for the golden geese that are exquisitely made, they not only look good, but can also fly. It is also possible. Because in the Spring and Autumn Period, the famous craftsman Lu Ban could make wooden geese that flew in the sky and flew directly to the city of Song Dynasty. Hundreds of years later, craftsmen of Qin State could make flying golden geese. , This is credible." (Wu Bolun and Zhang Wenli, "Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin", Shanghai People's Publishing House, March 1990) So, is this legend credible?

In China, a country that has not attached much importance to technology in history, if flying golden geese could be created more than 2,200 years ago, this would be a rare miracle in the history of Chinese science and technology and the history of world science and technology. However, the credibility of Metal Flying Goose really makes people sweat. If you examine it carefully, you will immediately see the flaws in this legend. Just imagine that a metal object flying in the air is not as simple and easy as flying a kite or a light balloon. Due to its light weight, the latter can fly in the air with the help of natural wind. However, for a metal object, if it does not have mechanical power and relies solely on natural wind, let alone flying in the air, it may not be able to even take off. solve. How could China solve the problem of flying power for metal objects 2,200 years ago? Further analysis, assuming that the Qin Dynasty had the ability to make flying golden geese, then the golden geese would fly continuously and automatically after being buried in the underground palace, and they had been flying in the underground palace for nearly a thousand days and nights. When Xiang Yu opened the tomb passage of the underground palace, the automatically flying golden goose flew out of the ground smoothly along the tomb passage of the underground palace, and then flew over the thousands-meter-high peaks on the south side of the Qin Mausoleum to the distant south. If this anecdote wasn't made up by some literati, then Jin Yan's control and command system would probably be beyond the reach of even today's computers. Therefore, we can definitely say that the legend of the Qin Mausoleum's metal flying geese is not possible at all. Chinese people with modern scientific and technological awareness must not believe this legend easily.

The problem of misidentification of the legend of Jin Yan should be over at this point. However, further speaking, are there any clues in the historical documents about this legend fabricated by ancient literati? According to the relevant literature records of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian and Ban Gu’s descriptions contain the words “gold is the geese”. Obviously, the two masters of history recorded that the tombs were made of gold and the geese were used. Ancient literati may have derived their story from this. and "created" the story of Feiyan Legend.

[Edit this paragraph] Why was the mausoleum chosen in Lishan Mountain?

During the Warring States Period, the construction of some monarch cemeteries often required graphic design drawings. The construction of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum should also have a floor plan, and before drawing the map, the cemetery must be selected. We know that Qin Shihuang was in power in the capital city of Xianyang, so why was the cemetery chosen to be located in Lishan Mountain, far away from Xianyang?

Looking at relevant classics, the first person to explain this issue was Li Daoyuan, the author of "Shui Jing Zhu" in the Northern Wei Dynasty. He said: "The First Emperor of Qin had a grand burial and built a tomb on Lirong Mountain, named Lantian. Its yin is full of gold and its yang is full of beautiful jade. The First Emperor was greedy for its good name, so he buried it" ("Shui Jing·Weishui Annotations") ). This theory has been practiced in academic circles for more than a thousand years, and is considered to be the earliest and most authoritative view and is deeply believed. The explanation of "Shui Jing Zhu" seems reasonable on the surface. However, if we think carefully about it, it is still a question whether Qin Shihuang, as a 13-year-old child, knew about the U.S. dollars and jade in Lantian. Even if he knew it, the choice of the location of the mausoleum would probably not have been decided by the personal will of a nameless king. Therefore, it seems that the answer to this question should be found in terms of the etiquette at that time and the design intention of the tomb.

First of all, the establishment of the location of the mausoleum is closely related to the location of the tombs of previous generations of Qin kings. The ancestors of Qin Shi Huang and the Queen Mother are buried in the Zhiyang area to the west of Linzhang County. The choice of Qin Shi Huang's cemetery on Lishan Mountain to the east of Zhiyang was determined by the etiquette system at that time, because the tombs of ancient emperors were often based on the dignity of the place where they lived during their lifetime. Humble, arranged up and down. It is recorded in books such as "Book of Rites" and "Erya". "South, north, west is up." "The southwest corner is called this secret, where you respect your elders." The record in "Lunheng" of the Eastern Han Dynasty is more clear: "The west of the husband is the place of the elders and the position of the venerable. The venerable is in the west, and the humble is in the east... The husband's tomb is where the dead are hidden; the fields are where the people live." Food and drink; house, the place where people live, these three are good for removing bad things for people, etc.

Even the Empress Dowager Xuan in Zhiyang also hoped that her mausoleum could be buried between her husband and son, that is, "looking to the west for my husband and the east for my son", which seems to be based on the principle that the elders are in the west and the younger generations are in the east. Qin Shihuang The ancestors already knew that King Zhaoxiang, King Zhuangxiang and Queen Mother Xuan were buried in Zhiyang. Since the ancestors' tombs were all buried in the west of Linzhang County, the younger Qin Shihuang could only be buried in the east of Zhiyang. The location to the west of Zhiyang obviously goes against the traditional etiquette. It can be seen that the choice of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum at the foot of Lishan Mountain is completely consistent with the etiquette of younger generations living in the east.

Secondly, the choice of the location of the tomb is also in line with the "mountain-based" location at that time. Related to the concept of "building mausoleums". Starting from the Spring and Autumn Period, the monarchs of various vassal states have successively developed the custom of "building mausoleums on mountains". Many monarchs' tombs either have their backs to mountains and face rivers, or face plains with a wide view. Some monarchs' tombs are even simply Qin cemeteries in the Spring and Autumn Period were also influenced by this concept. Some were "buried in the West Mountain" and some were buried near the Qin Mausoleum during the Warring States Period. The cemetery still follows the example of "building a mausoleum on a mountain", and the location of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum on Lishan Mountain fully conforms to the traditional concept of "building a mausoleum on a mountain". It is backed by Lishan Mountain and faces the Weishui River, and this area has a beautiful scenery. Natural environment. In the entire Li Mountain, only the section from Lintong County to Ma'e has a higher altitude, with undulating hills and mountains. Viewed from the north bank of the Wei River, this section of the mountain range is symmetrical and looks like a huge screen. Behind the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, looking south from the top of the mausoleum, this section of the mountain range is in an arc shape. The mausoleum is surrounded by the mountains of Lishan Mountain and is integrated with the entire Lishan Mountain.

In short, the location of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin is both. In line with the etiquette of younger generations living in the east, it also reflects the traditional concept of "building a mausoleum based on the mountain"

The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is located 5 kilometers east of Linchang County, about 37 kilometers away from Xi'an City, and leans on Lishan Mountain in the south. It is adjacent to the Weishui River in the north. Some people think that this is inseparable from the ancient superstition of geomantic omen. In recent years, geologists have seen from satellite photos that the route from Jiaoshan to Huashan looks like a dragon. The mausoleum is located exactly at the position of the dragon's head. As we all know, there has been a saying of "the finishing touch" since ancient times. It was not clear for a while whether the ancients had the ability to "see far ahead" or whether today's people are too attached to it.

< p> The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is approximately square, with a flat top and a slightly stepped waist. It is 76 meters high, 345 meters long from east to west, and 350 meters wide from north to south. It covers an area of ??120,750 square meters.

According to preliminary inspection, the cemetery is divided into two parts. There are two parts: the city and the outer city. The inner city is square in shape, with a circumference of about 3,000 meters, and has 2 gates on the north wall. There is a gate site. There are horse burial pits, rare birds and animals pits, and pottery barrel pits between the inner and outer cities. Outside the mausoleum, there are more than 400 stable pits, human sacrifice pits, prison pits, and tombs of people who repaired the mausoleum. 56.25 square kilometers. The center of the mausoleum is where the coffin of Qin Shihuang is placed.

Since 1974, three terracotta warriors and horses have been buried 1.5 kilometers east of the cemetery. They are arranged in a glyph and have the largest area. Covering an area of ??more than 20,000 square meters, 8,000 pottery barrels, hundreds of chariots and tens of thousands of physical weapons and other cultural relics were unearthed. Among them, Pit No. 1 contains about 6,000 pottery horses and pottery horses that are as big as real horses; Pit No. 2 contains more than 1,300 pottery buckets and horses, and 89 chariots; Pit No. 3 contains 68 warrior barrels and war chariots. 1 cart and 4 pottery horses.

In 1980, a large bronze chariot and two horses were unearthed on the west side of the cemetery. This group of painted bronze chariots and horses, high chariots and an chariots, is the largest, most gorgeously decorated, most realistic and most complete ancient bronze chariots and horses found in China so far, and is known as the "Crown of Bronze".

In addition to the burial pits, the remains of a stone processing plant were also discovered in the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum. The architectural relics include door anvils, column bases, tiles, ridges, tiles, stone water channels, pottery water channels, etc.

The scale of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum is obvious, but is there a design blueprint for Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum?

According to the historical records, "Shui Xiangsi ordered 720,000 prisoners from all over the world to be made into a mausoleum, and the construction of the mausoleum was carried out according to regulations." The construction of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum was by no means arbitrary and must have been based on the design plan. It was built in a planned way. Looking at the history of the construction of imperial tombs in the past dynasties, it is not difficult to imagine the connection. The specific design blueprint is still under further study.

Who presided over the construction of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum?

It is speculated that the Shaofu is in charge of construction, and the national mausoleum should be managed by him.

Of course, the highest management superior is still the truth, but the truth is that the truth is handled by the young man. However, there is another problem here, that is, the Shaofu official was named after the unification of the Qin Dynasty. Whether there was such an official position before the unification cannot be verified, but whether there was or not, there must be an organization that was responsible for the civil construction projects of the palace. As for the name of this organization, it remains to be further verified.

How deep is the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang? "Historical Records: The Chronicles of Qin Shihuang" says that it "penetrates three springs". The description of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum in "Old Records of the Han Dynasty" includes the words "It's extremely deep" and "It's extremely deep and inaccessible". Some people believe that the Qinling Underground Palace is neither shallow nor deep, and the "three springs" mentioned in the book are nothing more than the "under the nine springs" that people often mention. According to "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals": "If it is shallow, the fox will spread it, and if it is deep, it will reach the spring." That is, the deepest is the spring. In ancient times, due to technical limitations, it was not easy to construct under spring water. Moreover, if the underground palace was located below the groundwater table, long-term seepage of groundwater would definitely cause the underground palace to suffer "leaking" damage. The designers of Qin Shihuang and his mausoleum could not help but Take this into account. Of course, these are just speculations, and the specific situation is unknown.

What is the structure of the underground tomb of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum?

Judging from the excavated remains of Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, it seems that Qin Shi Huang wanted to bring his palaces, mountains, rivers and other things to the underground world. To achieve this, it would be difficult to achieve this without building a vast tomb. According to the "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin": "After the major event was completed, it was hidden. Zhongxian was closed, and the outer Xian gate was lowered. All the craftsmen were hidden, and no one came back." Here, both the Zhongxian gate and the outer Xian gate are mentioned, presumably There must be a Neixian Gate. This seems to indicate that there is a passage to the main tomb in the underground palace, and the craftsmen can only be closed outside the Zhongxian Gate. The place inside the Neixian Gate is where Qin Shihuang's coffin is placed. As for the length of the tomb passage, you can imagine it. If it is reasonable to say that there is a cave with a length of 300 feet, no wonder some people think that the cave of the underground palace of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum is south of the current artificial seal and reaches the main peak of Qishan Center - Wang. Under the peak.

According to archaeological exploration and the judgment of the location of the terracotta warriors and horses in the tomb passage, experts believe that the orientation of the tomb is west to east. This is a peculiar layout. As we all know, in ancient my country, the south-facing position was respected. The tombs of emperors in the past were basically facing south. Why did Qin Shihuang, who unified the world, want to sit west and face east?