Terra Cotta Army Of Qin 322

TERRACOTTA ARMY OF QIN

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Introduction

The Terracotta Army is a funerary art which portrays the armies of the first Chinese

Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. In 1974, some Chinese peasants discovered an old pit that contained

the clay warriors in Shaanxi Province, northwest of China

. They alerted the authority and

excavation begun immediately. It is argued that the clay soldiers were modeled to protect the

emperor in his afterlife

. The more than 2200 years old models are considered by many

historians to be a splendid archeological site in the world and have been defined as one of the

greatest discoveries of the 20th century. The warriors were both beneficial and detrimental to the

ancient Chinese social-political life, and it is easy to compare the cultural values of the

Terracotta Army to other Chinese historical sites such as the Great Wall. The figures depict the

nature of the old Chinese government, people's way of life, religion, their values and a true

depiction of the real army of Chinese emperors of the third century BC. The statues were created

under the supervision of the emperor who imposed harsh measures and suffering to the ordinary

citizens. Despite the oppression faced by the Chinese of the time, the artists managed to create

splendid sculptures that explain the creativity, skillful and effectiveness of common citizens of

ancient China

. The Terracotta Army is neither an admiration of real soldiers that it tries so

much to reflect, nor the authoritative nature of the tyrant who commissioned the creation of the

clay soldiers, but rather a celebration of the poor artists who have managed to preserve ancient

Chinese culture through the models.

Depiction of the Political Structure

The position of the clay soldiers explains the military organization of ancient Chinese

army. Arguably, Emperor Qin organized his army in a manner illustrated by the clay soldier's

formation. Each of the clay soldiers has a unique facial expression and they are positioned

according to rank

. The soldiers have varying height conferring to their role in the army, with

the tallest ones being the generals. They were initially painted and armed, but with time most of

these artistic depictions have been lost. Not only do they have varying heights and facial

expressions, but also have different roles in the Qin's army. The commanders are also distinct

from the normal infantry, with unique uniforms and hairstyles

. These soldiers are seen to be

organized into three separate pits, with the largest being the main battle army. This pit contains

foot soldiers and horses, and it can be deducted that the ancient Chinese military at the time of

Qin was structured in a similar way. The second pit is smaller from the first one, and is

considered a flanking army; this is a military tactic where soldiers move around a flank to gain a

better position against an enemy and presents an offensive power that can be concentrated in the

army's front

. The Chinese flank army composed of archers and chariots, while the third pit

represented the headquarters.

The Chinese people at the time appear to have possessed some of the best military

technology of their time. The figures not only depict warriors but also chariot and horses; it is

estimated that the sculptures contain 130 chariots, 150 cavalries and about 520 horses

. The

excavation of the pits has brought to light the presence of 40 000 bronze weapons, ranging from

crossbows, spears, arrowheads and axes. These weapons have remained intact after more than 2

000 yeas of potential vandalism

. The designers used chrome plating technology to protect the

weapons, a technique first used by the Germans in 1937 and Americans in 1950 .This indicates

that the Chinese had access to complex military technology unparalleled at that time, and reveals

their mastery of ancient Chinese metallurgy. The swords and crossbows found at the tomb are

believed to have been new when they were buried. The blades signpost evidence of sharpening

on a spinning whetstone. An analysis of the heads of arrows and crossbows further indicate use

of bronze alloy and tin

Social Structures

There is currently no written primary source that talks directly about the Terracotta Army

structures. While excavation has not been fully done to establish any writings, inscriptions or

eyewitness accounts of the warrior sculptures, historians are still looking for better technology to

examine the tomb of Qin. The only existing information about Emperor Qin, although not

directly related to the clay statues artifacts, comes from one of the advisors of the emperor,

known as Wei Lao. He was one of his closest advisors and offers description that can help

tourists viewing the soldier figures develop a clear visual illustration of the first ruler of a united

China. Lao states that "his chest is like that of a bird of prey and his voice like that of a jackal.

He is merciless, with the heart of a tiger or a wolf."

. It is perhaps the fear of death that not only

made him a staunch believer in life after death, but also coerced him to oppress common Chinese

into building the clay structures.

The funerary statues have gained a wide range of social-economical applications, and

continue to serve as a fundamental Chinese heritage

. Their usage in advertising campaigns

endorsing a wide range of goods and services elaborate their social cultural places in the Asian

hemisphere. Companies dealing with alcohol, computer accessories and museum quality

reproduction of the soldiers in different positions and poses are common in the global marketing

world. The Warriors appear in covers of tourist's media channels to tell the world about the

social-political life of ancient china people of the second century BC. However, the Terracotta

Army of Qin fails to provide sufficient information about the Chinese past that they seem to

depict. There is no mention of the buried Qin's army in ancient Chinese recordings, despite that

fact that China boasts of thousands of years of written history. The only thing that links the

statues to Emperor Qin is their proximity to his tomb, and historians like Chen Jingyuan have

stated that the figures may not be related to the first emperor

. Given that the soldiers in the

funerary tomb have no known history; their social meanings in the Chinese culture have been

defined via narratives of memories and practices

. This does not imply a person's actual recall

of the meanings of the soldiers, but rather the collective expression of significant representations

of the ancient China was felt as a personal encounter. Images of the soldiers ready to guard Qin

in the afterlife portrays the ruling class of the 2nd century China as revolutionaries and

progressive people, lively and with high spirit of that time.

The most spectacular thing is not with the soldiers themselves, but the artists of the time

who crafted the figures, and the normal soldiers that each model takes after. The collection of the

figures is a real representation of the artists skills during Qin Dynasty. Therefore, the clay

soldiers have a fundamental value- they are aesthetic objects. Their connection with the real

armies of the past and their responsibility towards the emperor is partly misplaced

. The models

do not just serve to tell visitors of the ancient political ways of Qin Dynasty, but are a creation of

the Chinese artisans. People should therefore look at the soldiers with a multi-dimensional

perspective when trying to understand the social-political life of ancient China. This is because

the figures have little connection with politics of Qin, but are a true cultural delineation of the

skills and innovative nature of common Chinese men and women of the time. It's not the

emperor or the ruling members that made the clay models we have today, but Chinese of humble

backgrounds.

The figures symbolize dissatisfaction with the government of Qin, and are a reflection of

the social contradictions of the empire. The exploitative character of the Emperor towards the

normal Chinese is a lesson visitors can decipher from the statues. These were models designed to

sacrifice their lives protecting the emperor in the afterlife. Even though the emperor did not use

living soldiers to take care of him during the afterlife, the thought of having model warriors after

his death is a concise reflection of his disregard for other people's lives. Furthermore, the look on

the soldier models is clear illustration of unhappiness, dissatisfaction and anger of the common

Chinese citizens

. The director of the Terracotta Army Museum, Yuan Zhongyi, describes the

value of the soldier's figures and their impact. He talks about the humble and oppressed people in

the lower social classes during the Qin Dynasty, who were the creators of the warrior figures. He

notes that "It was said that severe and hard labor, including forced military service, had been

imposed on the people during the first emperor’s reign. The severe punishment meted out to

those who disobeyed brought untold suffering to the people"

On the contrary, some historians argue that the soldier models portray people's

willingness to serve and protect strong leaders and policies that result to development. One such

is who believe that Qin Shihuan was a mighty military strategist who united China during the

ancient feudal society

. He established social political measures that eventually made the

Dynasty prosperous. His actions led to the establishment of united China, and Qing is described

as a reformer who put much emphasis on agriculture. The emperor implemented policies that

ensured smooth farming and demarcation of counties. He unified six large Chinese states into

one nation, and introduced joint laws in his empire. He further standardized measurements,

currency, and weight while putting emphasis on a single way of writing. He succeeded in joining

together older defenses in the northern and western borders, leading to the formation of the initial

Great Wall of China. But this view has been challenged by the fact that Qin Shihuang was a

tyrant despite his contributions to china's economy and politics. Li Si, an official for the

Kingdom of Qin, presents a primary source of the life at the courts of the empire. He was a prime

minister to the emperor and was one of the leading proponents of a legalist political structure that

resulted to oppression of citizens. In support of burning of books and execution of scholars

against his policies, Li Si wrote to the emperor urging to take action.

…Your servant suggests that all books in the imperial archives, save the memoirs of Qin, be

burned. All persons in the empire, except members of the Academy of Learned Scholars, in

possession of the Classic of Odes, the Classic of Documents, and discourses of the hundred

philosophers should take them to the local governors and have them indiscriminately burned.

Those who dare to talk to each other about the Odes and Documents should be executed and their

bodies exposed in the marketplace

He therefore burnt many scholarly books to prevent people from thinking freely, fearing

opposition and rebellion. He torched 460 scholars alive after they learnt of his arrogance.

Subsequently, he commissioned building of luxurious structures through hard labor, heavy tax

and unbearable military supervision. It was these harsh measures that resulted to rebellion after

the emperor's death in 210 BCE.

The army sculptures suggest that ancient China of Qin dynasty had established foreign

relations with Western people. There is a theory that claims the artists responsible for designing

Terracotta Army were under the stewardship of European foreigners

. Writing for National

Geographic, William states that the Terracotta acrobats and the bronze statues of ducks, cranes

and swans at the tomb of Emperor Qin exhibit Greek influence. The skeletons have been

examined and scientists have confirmed European presence through DNA tests. These Greek

artists could have traveled long before Marco Polo from the Hellenistic areas of Western Asia

and arrived in China where they trained the local population. Mitochondrial DNA indicates that

Europeans intermarried with Chinese during the reign of Emperor Qin, who possibly brought the

skills of life-size sculpture making. The Chinese did not have life-size sculpture making skills

before the unification of China, and that they only begun the technology at the time of Qin. This

is enough reason to make some scholars purchase the idea of western influence in the funerary

tomb making. To supports this theory, some people claim that the reign of Alexander the Great,

whose empire stretched to the present day India, made it possible for Chinese artists to encounter

Greek arts. The DNA test this confirms that Chinese and Europeans encountered each other at

an earlier date.

The Chinese were religious people who put much emphasis on life after death. This can

be deducted from one of the emperor's main reasons for commissioning the construction of the

soldier models- to protect him in the afterlife. The Chinese did not only try to experience life

after death, but also sought ways of achieving immortality. They made bronze objects

representing immortals, in the hope that these objects would attract the immortals to visit the

people. These religious beliefs were in part influenced by the advancement of legalism

philosophy

. This view holds that people are inclined to do more wrong than right given that

they are motivated by self -interest desires. It can be argued that this philosophy was a

contributing factor to the harsh treatment of citizens by the Qin rulers. Immediately after rising to

power, the emperor made legalism the official philosophy of Qin Dynasty and banned all other

religions

. Confucianism was highly condemned due to its insistence that human beings are

basically good and that people need to be channeled to right to live a good life.

Like many ancient societies of the time, Qin Dynasty was a male dominated society

where women's role in government was highly limited. 10 bones of young women were buried

with precious jewelry of Gold and Pearl has been discovered at the site

. It is argued that these

women were the emperor's concubines, who were murdered and mutilated as part of his funerary

protocol. They were to accompany him after death. The role of women in Qin dynasty was to

stay at home, take care of men and children and perform household chores. There are no female

soldier in the Terracotta Army figures, suggesting that women had no place for politics and other

sensitive matters. Male dominance at this time ensures that women had no voice in decision

making process.

Conclusion

The Terracotta Army of Qin not only depicts the ancient Chinese culture in a register of

history, but also illustrates the past society in a manner that people can create memories related

to the past from a social experience. The sight at the museum can be remembered as real-life

experiences with the ancient warriors and the past Chinese culture. The museum lets tourists

experience and understands the daily life of the past Chinese society, and how political and

social structures influenced people's lives. Largely a legalist society, the government had total

control over the lives of its subjects. This can be seen by the suffering of creators of the statues

who were normal citizens committed to the will of their master. While the reason for making the

pottery figures has always been believed to protect the emperor, the real purpose has remained a

mystery. Qin was a tyrant, and even if he united China and reformed many sectors of the society,

his obsession with power and misplaced desires to continue ruling China after his death resulted

to suffering of millions of people. He managed to establish the Terracotta Army and the Great

Wall through brutality and execution of opposition. In pursuit of power after death, Emperor

Huangshi embraced legalism and forced Chinese artist to prepare way for his afterlife command

center.

Endnotes

1. Bonaduce, Ilaria, Catharina Blaensdorf, Patrick Dietemann, and Maria Perla Colombini. "The

binding media of the polychromy of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army." Journal of

Cultural Heritage, (2008): 103-108.

2. ibid

3. Davies, David J. "Qin Shihuang's terracotta warriors and commemorating the cultural

state." Places of Memory in Modern China (2011): 17-49.

4. Liu, Z., A. Mehta, N. Tamura, D. Pickard, B. Rong, T. Zhou, and P. Pianetta. "Influence of

Taoism on the invention of the purple pigment used on the Qin terracotta

warriors." Journal of Archaeological Science, (2007): 1878-1883.

5. Ibid

6. Davies, David J. "Qin Shihuang terracotta warriors and commemorating the cultural

state." Places of Memory in Modern China (2011): 17-49

7. Pruitt, Sarah. "5 Things You May Not Know About the Terra Cotta Army"(2014),

http://www.history.com/news/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-terra-cotta-army

8. Pruitt, Sarah. "5 Things You May Not Know About the Terra Cotta Army"(2014). History.

Retrieved from http://www.history.com/news/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-

terra-cotta-army

9. Ibid

10. Portal, Jane. "The first emperor: China's terracotta army". (Harvard University Press, 2007).

11. Davies, David J. "Qin Shihuang terracotta warriors and commemorating the cultural

state." Places of Memory in Modern China (2011): 17-49.

12 Matten M. "Places of memory in modern China, history, politics, and identity"(2011)

13 Davies, David J. "Qin Shihuang terracotta warriors and commemorating the cultural

state." Places of Memory in Modern China (2011): 17-49.

14. Ibid

15. Bevan, Andrew, Xiuzhen Li, Marcos Martinón-Torres, Susan Green, Yin Xia, Kun Zhao,

Zhen Zhao, Shengtao Ma, Wei Cao, and Thilo Rehren. "Computer vision, archaeological

classification and China's terracotta warriors." (2014): 249-254.

16. Yuan Zhongyi ,. "The Funerary Statues of Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum". (1983).

17. Wang, Chongren. " Gudu Xi’an The Ancient Capital of Xian" (1981).

18. Theodore, W. and Bloom, Irene. "Sources of Chinese Tradition" (New York: Columbia

University Press, Columbia University Press; 1999).

19. Williams, R. "Discoveries May Rewrite History of China's Terra-Cotta Warriors". (National

Geographic, 2016).

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb/

20. "Leadership and Management in China: Philosophies, Theories & Practices" (Cambridge

University Press, 2008).

21. ibid

22. Carelli, Francesco. "The terracotta army, London journal of primary care" (2007): 56-57.

Bibliographies

Bevan, Andrew, Xiuzhen Li, Marcos Martinón-Torres, Susan Green, Yin Xia, Kun Zhao, Zhen

Zhao, Shengtao Ma, Wei Cao, and Thilo Rehren. "Computer vision, archaeological

classification and China's terracotta warriors." Journal of Archaeological Science 49

(2014): 249-254.

Carelli, Francesco. "The terracotta army." London journal of primary care 1, no. 1 (2007): 56-

57.

Davies, David J. "Qin Shihuang's terracotta warriors and commemorating the cultural

state." Places of Memory in Modern China (2011): 17-49.

Ilaria, Bonaduce, , Catharina Blaensdorf, Patrick Dietemann, and Maria Perla Colombini. "The

binding media of the polychromy of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army." Journal of

Cultural Heritage 9, no. 1 (2008): 103-108.

Leadership and Management in China: Philosophies, Theories & Practices. (Cambridge

University Press, 2008).

Liu, Z., A. Mehta, N. Tamura, D. Pickard, B. Rong, T. Zhou, and P. Pianetta. "Influence of

Taoism on the invention of the purple pigment used on the Qin terracotta

warriors." Journal of Archaeological Science 34, no. 11 (2007): 1878-1883.

Matten M,. "Places of memory in modern China, history, politics, and identity"(2011). Vol. 5

Portal, Jane. The first emperor: China's terracotta army. Harvard University Press, 2007.

Pruitt, Sarah. "5 Things You May Not Know About the Terra Cotta Army"(2014). History.

Retrieved from http://www.history.com/news/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-

terra-cotta-army

Theodore, W. and Bloom, Irene. "Sources of Chinese Tradition",(1999). 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New

York: Columbia University Press, Columbia University Press).

Wang,. Chongren. " Gudu Xi’an The Ancient Capital of Xian" (1981).

Williams, R. "Discoveries May Rewrite History of China's Terra-Cotta Warriors".(National

Geographic, 2016). Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/china-

first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb/

Yuan Zhongyi ,. " The Funerary Statues of Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum". (1983). Beijing

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