Original subtitles

Narrator: OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO,

\h\h\h\hTHE 13-YEAR-OLD RULER OF A KINGDOM IN FAR EAST ASIA

ORDERED THE BUILDING \hOF HIS MAUSOLEUM.

THE BOY WOULD GO ON TO CONQUER AND UNIFY

THE SEVEN WARRING STATES OF A CRUMBLING DYNASTY,

MAKING IT ONE NATION FOR THE FIRST TIME.

HE WOULD LATER BE KNOWN \h\h\hAS QIN SHI HUANG,

OR THE FIRST EMPEROR OF QIN,

AND WOULD LEAVE BEHIND \h\hAN ENDURING LEGACY

THAT HAS SHAPED THE CHINA \h\h\h\h\h\hWE KNOW TODAY.

BUT THE LOCATION AND MAGNIFICENCE

OF HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE \hWAS LOST FOR CENTURIES.

Man: HE WAS LAYING

SOME OF THE MOST INTRICATE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hPREPARATIONS

TO GO ON LIVING AFTER DEATH.

\hNarrator: THEN, IN 1974, WORKERS IN NORTHWEST CHINA

FOUND FRAGMENTS OF A CLAY FIGURE

\h\h\hAND UNEARTHED ONE OF THE GREATEST

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN HISTORY.

Woman: NOTHING LIKE THAT \h\hHAD BEEN DISCOVERED

BEFORE THAT TIME.

THIS WAS COMPLETELY \h\h\hUNPRECEDENTED.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS \h\h\h\h\hWOULD EXCAVATE

\h\h\hTHOUSANDS OF TERRA-COTTA SOLDIERS, HORSES AND CHARIOTS.

\h\h\h\h\hHOW WERE THESE LIFE-SIZE FIGURES MADE?

WHY WERE THEY EQUIPPED \h\hWITH REAL WEAPONS?

AND WHAT OTHER SECRETS ARE THERE

\h\h\h\h\hBURIED DEEP BENEATH THE COLOSSAL MAN-MADE MOUNTAIN

HONORING CHINA’S FIRST EMPEROR?

♪

♪

DURING THE SUMMER OF 1974,

NEAR THE CENTRAL CHINESE CITY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF XIANYANG,

CAME NEWS OF A SPECTACULAR \h\h\hARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND.

BURIED SOME 15 FEET \h\h\hBELOW GROUND,

\hNOT ONE BUT HUNDREDS OF LIFE-SIZED FIGURES,

MADE OF CLAY.

\h\hAN ARMY OF SOLDIERS THAT WOULD BECOME KNOWN

AS THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS.

ARCHAEOLOGIST YUAN ZHONGYI WAS ONE OF THE EXCAVATORS

WORKING AT THE SITE.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

\h\hYuan Zhongyi, translated: WHEN THE TERRA-COTTA SOLDIERS

WERE DISCOVERED, PEOPLE IN CHINA

AND AROUND THE WORLD \h\h\h\hWERE AMAZED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: TEAMS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

\h\h\hDESCENDED UPON THE SITE, COMBING THROUGH DIRT AND CLAY,

TRYING TO SOLVE A MYSTERY \h\hOVER 2,000 YEARS OLD.

\h\h\hYuan: IT WAS A PUZZLE, BECAUSE NO ONE HAD ANY IDEA

WHAT THE STATUES WERE.

\h\h\hSOME PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE STATUES OF GODS.

\h\hA FEW OLD WOMEN WENT INSIDE THE SITE

\hAND BURNED INCENSE AND WORSHIPPED THEM.

\hOTHER PEOPLE SAID THEY WERE FALSE GODS

AND THAT THEY SHOULD \h\h\hBE DESTROYED.

\hNarrator: NO ONE KNEW WHO CREATED THE FIGURES,

NOR DID THEY KNOW WHEN OR WHY.

HUNDREDS OF OBJECTS WERE DUG UP DURING THE EXCAVATION,

BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS’ QUESTIONS \h\h\h\h\hREMAINED UNANSWERED.

THEN THEY UNCOVERED A VITAL CLUE TO SOLVING THE MYSTERY--

\hA NUMBER OF RELICS THEY COULD PIN DOWN

TO A SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD.

THEY WERE BRONZE WEAPONS \h\hCALLED A DAGGER-AXE.

\h\h\hIT CONSISTS OF A LONG WOODEN SHAFT

WITH A BLADE ATTACHED \h\h\h\h\hTO THE TIP,

AND WAS USED TO THRUST AT \h\h\hAND STAB THE ENEMY.

RESEARCHERS FOUND ON THE BLADES OF THE WEAPONS

A STATEMENT WRITTEN IN A CHINESE SCRIPT

FROM THE THIRD CENTURY B.C.

\h\h\h\h\h\hYuan: IN THE PIT OF THE TERRA-COTTA SOLDIERS,

SOME WEAPONS WERE EXCAVATED.

AND ON THOSE WEAPONS \hWERE INSCRIPTIONS

OF THE MINISTERS OF THE TIME, \h\h\h\h\hINCLUDING LU BUWEI,

WHO SERVED UNDER QIN SHI HUANG,

\hTHE FIRST EMPEROR OF THE QIN DYNASTY.

THIS CONFIRMED THAT THE TOMB NEARBY WAS QIN SHI HUANG’S.

\hIT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO THINK OTHERWISE.

Narrator: BUT ONLY AFTER \h\h\h\hMORE EXCAVATION

\h\hDID ARCHAEOLOGISTS LEARN THE EXTENT OF THE DISCOVERY.

THEY ATTRIBUTED THE VAST TABLEAU TO THE FIRST EMPEROR OF CHINA,

QIN SHI HUANG, THE RULER \hWHO CREATED THE NATION

\h\h\h\h\hOUT A GROUP OF WARRING PROVINCES.

\h\h\hTHE FIGURES, DUBBED THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS,

LOOKED VIVIDLY LIFELIKE,

\hAS IF BLOOD FLOWED THROUGH THEIR VEINS.

\h\h\h\h\h\hSTANDING IN BATTLE-READY FORMATION,

THIS ARMY WAS UNVEILED \h\hFOR THE FIRST TIME

IN OVER 2,000 YEARS.

THE TERRA-COTTA ARMY CAPTURED \h\h\hTHE PUBLIC’S IMAGINATION

AND FUELED INTENSE CURIOSITY \h\hABOUT THAT ANCIENT ERA.

\hVISITORS WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE RULER QIN SHI HUANG

\h\h\hAND WHY THE ARMY OF STATUE WARRIORS CAME TO BE BURIED HERE.

COMPLICATING MATTERS, SIMA QIAN,

THE HISTORIAN WHO CHRONICLED \h\h\h\hTHE EMPEROR’S LIFE,

OFFERS LITTLE HELP.

Michelle Wang: SIMA QIAN WROTE \h\h\hNOTHING OF THE EXISTENCE

OF THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS.

THERE’S NOTHING IN HIS ACCOUNT \h\h\h\h\hTHAT SUGGESTS TO US

\hTHAT HE WAS AWARE OF THEIR PRODUCTION,

AND INTERMENT IN THE PITS

\hTHAT SURROUNDED THE FIRST EMPEROR OF QIN’S MAUSOLEUM.

Narrator: ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

\h\hREQUIRES A JOURNEY BACK INTO CHINA’S EARLY HISTORY.

IN 246 B.C., A NEW KING \h\hASCENDED THE THRONE

IN THE WESTERN STATE OF QIN.

LITTLE WAS EXPECTED OF HIM \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAT THE TIME.

HE WAS ONLY 13 YEARS OLD.

HIS NAME WAS YING ZHENG,

THE RULER WHO WOULD LATER \h\hBECOME QIN SHI HUANG,

CHINA’S FIRST EMPEROR.

FOLLOWING ROYAL TRADITION, \hUPON TAKING THE THRONE,

\h\h\hTHE KING ORDERED HIS PRIME MINISTER, LU BUWEI,

TO FULFILL A SPECIAL COMMAND.

\h\hHou Ningbin, translated: BY THE SECOND YEAR OF THEIR REIGN,

KINGS WOULD BEGIN BUILDING \h\h\h\h\hTHEIR OWN TOMBS.

THAT’S WHY, AT 14,

\h\h\h\hYING ZHENG ORDERED THE CONSTRUCTION OF HIS MAUSOLEUM.

\hNarrator: THE CAPITAL OF QIN STATE, XIANYANG,

IS ONE OF THE OLDEST \h\hCITIES IN CHINA.

\hIT WAS THE EASTERN GATEWAY TO THE FAMED SILK ROAD TRADE ROUTE

\h\h\hAND SERVED AS A CENTER OF POLITICS, ECONOMY, AND CULTURE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAROUND 246 B.C., ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF XIANYANG,

WORK BEGAN ON WHAT WOULD BECOME

\hTHE YOUNG RULER’S FINAL RESTING PLACE.

♪

\h\hTHE BURIAL MOUND IS 345 METERS WIDE,

\h\h350 METERS LONG, AND 55 METERS HIGH,

\hA STRUCTURE BIGGER THAN THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE LOCATION OF THE TERRA-COTTA ARMY SITE

\hIS ALMOST A MILE AWAY FROM THE EMPEROR’S BURIAL MOUND.

♪

\hBECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE FROM QIN SHI HUANG’S TOMB,

\hARCHAEOLOGISTS SUSPECTED THERE WAS MORE TO THE SITE

THAN THE LIFE-SIZE CLAY SOLDIERS

\h\h\h\hTHEY UNCOVERED IN ONE OF SEVERAL PITS BELOW GROUND.

THEIR INVESTIGATIONS LED \h\h\hTO THE CONCLUSION

THAT THE SOLDIERS SERVED AS BODYGUARDS FOR QIN SHI HUANG

IN THE AFTERLIFE.

\hAndrew Schonebaum: SOME SCHOLARS THINK

THAT THEY ARE DEFENDING IT.

\h\h\h\hSOME THINK THAT THEY ARE A REPRESENTATION OF THE RETINUE

\hTHAT QIN SHI HUANG WOULD HAVE TRAVELED AROUND HIS EMPIRE WITH.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Yuan: OUR INVESTIGATION \h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE SITE

REVEALED IT TO BE \hEXTREMELY LARGE.

IN THE FIRST PIT,

WE FOUND A LARGE NUMBER \h\h\h\hOF CLAY FIGURES,

\h\h\h\h\hMOSTLY INFANTRYMEN, SOME CHARIOTEERS, AND HORSES,

ABOUT 6,000 OF THEM.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Shen Maosheng, translated: \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE DISCOVERY

OF THE TERRA-COTTA ARMY

\h\h\h\hHELPED US UNDERSTAND A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE TIME.

ALL OF THE CLAY FIGURES \h\hWERE VERY REALISTIC,

SO BY STUDYING THEM, WE LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THE QIN MILITARY,

\h\hTHE POLITICAL SITUATION, EVEN THE CLOTHING THEY WORE.

[BATTLE CRIES]

\h\h\h\hNarrator: DURING THE THIRD CENTURY B.C.,

THE REGION WE NOW CALL CHINA \hWAS A BLOODY BATTLEGROUND.

\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH THE COLLAPSE OF THE CENTURIES-OLD ZHOU DYNASTY,

\h\hSEVEN STATES ERUPTED IN ENDLESS WARS FOR SUPREMACY.

♪

THE BATTLES WENT ON FOR DECADES.

♪

\hFINALLY, BY 221 B.C., UNDER RULER YING ZHENG,

\h\h\hTHE QIN DEFEATED ALL THE OTHER STATES.

AND THE REASONS FOR HIS SUCCESS CAN BE FOUND IN THE INNOVATIONS

THAT PRODUCED HIS REMARKABLE \h\h\h\h\hARMY OF THE DEAD.

\h\h\hTHE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN ANYTHING

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hQUITE LIKE THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS.

THE FIGURES ARE TALL AND WEAR EXPRESSIONS

\h\hTHAT REVEAL THE IMPOSING CHARACTER AND FIERCE RESOLVE

\h\h\hOF THE LEGENDARY QIN DYNASTY SOLDIERS.

Shen: LOOKING AT THEM \h\h\h\h\hINDIVIDUALLY

AND IN THEIR MILITARY FORMATION,

YOU GET A REAL APPRECIATION FOR THE STRENGTH OF THE QIN ARMY.

\h\hTHEY’RE EXTRAORDINARY, AND IT’S NO WONDER THAT WITH THEM

QIN SHI HUANG CONQUERED \h\h\hTHE OTHER STATES.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: PIT ONE OF THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

DISPLAYS THE BATTLE FORMATION \h\h\h\h\hOF THE QIN MILITARY.

THE FIRST THREE ROWS CONSIST \hOF ARCHERS FACING FORWARD.

♪

\h\h\hBEHIND THEM STAND INFANTRYMEN IN 38 ROWS,

POISED TO STRIKE UPON THE COMMANDER’S ORDER.

♪

\hTHE FLANKS ARE DEFENDED BY TROOPS ON THE PERIPHERY

FACING OUTWARD, WATCHING FOR THREATS FROM ANY DIRECTION.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hPIT ONE CONTAINS A WELL-ORGANIZED INFANTRY CORPS

OF 6,000 MEN.

♪

THE WARRIORS ONCE HELD WEAPONS \h\h\hBEFITTING THEIR DUTIES,

AND THE SHAPES OF THEIR HANDS \h\h\hALL DIFFER ACCORDINGLY.

♪

THESE ARE SPEARS AND DAGGER-AXES USED BY THE INFANTRYMEN.

CROSSBOWS AND BRONZE ARROWS \h\h\h\hALLOWED THE WARRIORS

TO ATTACK ENEMIES \hFROM A DISTANCE.

♪

DURING THE EXCAVATION,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONE DISCOVERY TOOK THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS BY SURPRISE.

\hDESPITE BEING BURIED FOR OVER 2,000 YEARS,

THE SWORDS OF THE INFANTRYMEN

WERE STILL IN PRISTINE, \h\hRUST-FREE CONDITION.

THE QIN DYNASTY’S METALWORK WAS HIGHLY ADVANCED FOR ITS TIME.

[SHOUTING]

\h\h\hRESEARCHERS EXAMINED WHY THE WEAPONS MAINTAINED

THEIR KEEN CUTTING EDGE \h\h\h\hAND DIDN’T RUST.

\h\hHou: WE DID TESTS TO SEE WHY THE SWORDS

\h\h\h\h\h\hWERE STILL SHARP AFTER BEING BURIED SO LONG.

WE FOUND EVIDENCE OF CHROMIUM OXIDE

ON THE SWORD BLADES,

WHICH PREVENTS THEM \h\h\hFROM RUSTING.

\h\hIT’S IMPRESSIVE THAT CHINA HAD DEVELOPED THIS TECHNOLOGY

OVER 1,000 YEARS BEFORE \h\h\hTHE WESTERN WORLD.

AFTER ALL, GERMANY DIDN’T \h\h\hDISCOVER THIS METHOD

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hUNTIL THE 1930s, AND AMERICA NOT UNTIL THE 1950s.

\h\h\hNarrator: BONDING A CHROMIUM OXIDE COATING

TO A METAL SURFACE

\h\h\hREQUIRES TEMPERATURES OF 1,400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

\h\h\hTO TOUGHEN IT AND MAKE IT DURABLE.

[SHOUTING]

\h\hBECAUSE OF THIS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY,

THE QIN STATE’S WEAPONRY AND ITS SUPERIOR TROOP STRENGTH

GAVE ITS FIGHTERS AN ADVANTAGE \h\h\h\h\h\hOVER THEIR ENEMIES

ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

[SHOUTING]

\hTHE INITIAL EXCAVATION OF PIT ONE TOOK OVER TWO YEARS.

DURING THAT TIME,

\hTHE ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERED TWO MORE PITS IN THE VICINITY.

PIT TWO IS LOCATED ABOUT \h\h60 FEET FROM PIT ONE

AND IS SMALLER IN SIZE.

BUT MEASURING 136 YARDS WIDE \h\h\h\hAND 107 YARDS LONG,

IT’S STILL THREE TIMES LARGER \h\h\h\h\hTHAN A SOCCER FIELD.

THE FIGURES AND WEAPONS HERE \h\h\h\hDIFFER FROM PIT ONE.

Shen: PIT TWO CONTAINS A VARIETY OF SOLDIERS,

INCLUDING ARCHERS \hAND CHARIOTEERS,

\hCOMPARED TO PIT ONE, WHICH CONTAINS MAINLY INFANTRYMEN.

Narrator: AFTER 20 MONTHS SPENT REMOVING EARTH AND TIMBERS,

ARCHEOLOGISTS FOUND PIT TWO

TO BE FULL OF CHARIOTS, ARCHERS, AND CAVALRYMEN.

SOLDIERS WITH CROSSBOWS STOOD \h\hIN FORMATION AT THE FRONT,

\hWHILE CAVALRYMEN WERE POSITIONED BEHIND THEM.

FLANKED TO THE SIDE \hWAS A MIXED ARRAY

OF MID-SIZED CHARIOTS \h\h\hAND INFANTRYMEN,

WITH THREE ARMORED MEN PLACED IN EACH OF THE FOUR-HORSE CHARIOTS.

♪

\h\h\h\hARCHAEOLOGISTS ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF HORSES IN PIT TWO

TO BE OVER 500.

THE HORSE FIGURES REVEALED A FEATURE

PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN TO EXPERTS.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Xu Weimin, translated: WE FOUND THE HORSE SADDLES IN THIS PIT

TO BE VERY WELL DECORATED.

PUTTING A SADDLE ON A HORSE

\h\h\hMAKES FOR MORE COMFORTABLE RIDING,

AND IT ALSO GIVES YOU \h\h\h\h\hAN ADVANTAGE

WHEN YOU’RE FIGHTING IN BATTLE.

Narrator: BEFORE THIS DISCOVERY,

SCHOLARS THOUGHT THAT SADDLES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWERE FIRST USED

IN THE HAN DYNASTY, THE EMPIRE \h\h\h\hTHAT FOLLOWED THE QIN.

SADDLES WERE KNOWN TO GREATLY \hIMPROVE THE SPEED, MOBILITY,

AND TACTICAL STRATEGY \h\hOF THE CAVALRYMEN.

♪

ANOTHER INNOVATION \hFOUND IN PIT TWO

INVOLVED THE CROSSBOWMEN \h\hIN THE FRONT RANKS.

\h\hTHEIR POWERFUL WEAPONS HAD AN AUTOMATIC TRIGGER,

WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN THE REASON

FOR THE QIN ARMY’S SUCCESS IN BATTLE.

♪

\h\h\hSOME EXPERTS THINK THE CROSSBOW HAD A RANGE

TWICE THAT OF TODAY’S MODERN ASSAULT RIFLES.

\h\h\h\h\hDURING BATTLE, SOLDIERS WITH CROSSBOWS

MUST HAVE SHOT BRONZE ARROWS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCONTINUOUSLY

FROM THE FRONT LINES,

BOMBARDING THE ENEMY FORCES FROM AS MUCH AS A MILE AWAY.

♪

LATER RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT THE TRIGGERS OF THE CROSSBOWS

HAD STANDARDIZED PARTS.

THIS WOULD ALLOW SOLDIERS \h\h\h\hTO QUICKLY REPLACE

BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE TRIGGERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH A SPARE

WHILE ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

\h\h\h\h\hXu: THIS WAS THE EARLIEST INSTANCE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF CHINA STANDARDIZING WEAPONS.

WE THINK OF STANDARDIZATION \h\h\h\hAS A MODERN CONCEPT.

BUT EXAMINING THESE WEAPONS \h\h\hFROM THE QIN DYNASTY,

\h\hIT’S CLEAR THEY WERE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED

IN TERMS OF PRODUCTION.

\h\h\h\h\hSO, SCHOLARS NOW SAY THE QIN DYNASTY WAS THE FIRST

\h\h\h\hTO MAKE WEAPONS WITH REPLACEABLE PARTS.

Narrator: SYSTEMIZATION WAS NOT LIMITED TO THE CROSSBOW.

MOST OTHER WEAPONS,

\h\hINCLUDING BRONZE ARROWHEADS, SPEARS, SWORDS, AND DAGGER-AXES,

WERE STANDARDIZED AS WELL.

IT MEANT THAT QIN SOLDIERS \h\hWOULD NOT BE HAMPERED

BY BROKEN WEAPONS \hDURING BATTLE--

A KEY FACTOR TO THEIR SUCCESS.

[SHOUTING]

♪

WHILE PITS ONE AND TWO CONTAIN

THOUSANDS OF INFANTRYMEN \h\h\h\hAND CAVALRYMEN,

PIT THREE IS THE SMALLEST

AND HOUSES THE ARMY’S HIGH-RANKING OFFICERS.

THIS SEPARATE COMMAND POST \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS UNUSUAL.

TODAY’S MODERN WARFARE FEATURES SUPERIOR OFFICERS ISSUING ORDERS

FROM A COMMAND POST \hBEHIND THE LINES.

\hBUT THIS WAS RARE IN ANCIENT BATTLES,

WHERE STRATEGIES WERE DIFFERENT.

\h\h\h\hShen: BACK THEN, MOST MILITARY COMMANDERS

LED TROOPS ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD.

BUT INSTEAD, THE QIN OFFICERS \h\h\h\h\h\hUSED THEIR SKILLS

\h\hTO ISSUE ORDERS FROM BEHIND THE FRONT LINES.

Narrator: THE QIN DYNASTY HAD WELL-TRAINED SOLDIERS,

\hSTATE-OF-THE-ART WEAPONS, AND EMPLOYED BOLD MILITARY TACTICS.

THIS IS HOW EXPERTS BELIEVE THEY FOUGHT.

[MARCHING FOOTSTEPS]

WHEN THE COMMANDING OFFICERS \h\h\h\h\h\hGAVE THE ORDERS,

\h\h\hSOLDIERS WITH CROSSBOWS AT THE FRONT LINES ATTACKED FIRST,

RAINING ARROWS DOWN \h\h\hON THE ENEMY.

[ARROWS WHIZZING]

\h\h\h\h\hTHIS WOULD PLUNGE THE ADVERSARIES INTO CHAOS,

WHILE QIN INFANTRYMEN \h\h\hFOLLOWING BEHIND

WOULD BEGIN THEIR ADVANCE.

CHARIOTEERS AND CAVALRYMEN WOULD THEN RUSH TO OUTFLANK THE ENEMY.

\hWITH INFANTRYMEN CHARGING HEAD ON,

CAVALRYMEN AND CHARIOTEERS \h\h\hUSED A PINCER ACTION

\h\h\h\h\hTO SURROUND THE ENEMY AND CLOSE OFF ANY ESCAPE ROUTE.

THE RESULT--ANNIHILATION.

♪

WITH SUPERIOR WEAPONS AND BRILLIANT TACTICS,

THE QIN ARMY DEFEATED THE NEIGHBORING STATES

IN LESS THAN A DECADE,

SETTING THE STAGE FOR A NEW ERA IN THE REGION’S HISTORY.

\h\hBUT EVEN THOUGH HE NOW HAD VICTORY IN HIS HANDS,

YING ZHENG WOULD CRAVE \h\h\hSOMETHING MORE.

[POUNDING DRUM]

IN 221 B.C.,

FOLLOWING THE END OF NEARLY \h\h\hTWO CENTURIES OF WAR,

A GRAND CEREMONY TOOK PLACE \h\hIN THE XIANYANG PALACE.

HERE, YING ZHENG,

THE 38-YEAR-OLD RULER \h\h\h\hOF QIN STATE,

DECLARED HIMSELF SOVEREIGN

\h\h\hOVER THE LANDS OF THE FORMER ZHOU DYNASTY.

HE ASSUMED THE NEW NAME \h\h\h\h"QIN SHI HUANG,"

\h\h\hTHE FIRST EMPEROR OF THE NEW QIN DYNASTY.

Schonebaum: WHEN THE KING \h\h\hOF QIN, YING ZHENG,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCROWNED HIMSELF THE FIRST EMPEROR OF THE QIN,

THAT WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED MOVE.

AND IT SHOWS THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE MAGNITUDE

OF WHAT HE HAD ACCOMPLISHED.

\h\h\hWang: IT SUGGESTS TO US THAT HE NO LONGER SAW HIMSELF

MERELY AS A TERRESTRIAL KING.

BUT RATHER HE SAW HIS ROLE \h\h\h\hAS BEING ELEVATED

TO THAT OF THE RULER \h\h\hOF AN EMPIRE,

AND A ROLE THAT COULD BE VIEWED PERHAPS ON COSMIC PROPORTIONS.

\h\h\hNarrator: QIN SHI HUANG WOULD GO ON TO UNIFY HIS REALM

\h\h\h\h\hBY IMPOSING A SERIES OF REFORMS--

ABOLISHING THE LONG-STANDING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFEUDAL SYSTEM,

CENTRALIZING THE LEGAL CODE,

\h\h\h\hSTANDARDIZING WEIGHTS AND MEASURES,

INTRODUCING A COMMON CURRENCY,

\h\h\h\hAND ESTABLISHING A SINGLE WRITING SYSTEM.

\h\h\h\hBUT DESPITE HIS TRIUMPHANT ACHIEVEMENT,

\h\h\h\hTHERE WAS ONE GOAL THAT ELUDED QIN SHI HUANG.

IT WAS HIS DESIRE TO CONQUER DEATH--

\h\h\h\h\h\hTO BE IMMORTAL-- AN EMPEROR IN THE AFTERLIFE.

Wang: QIN SHI HUANG’S PURSUIT OF IMMORTALITY

\h\h\hIS KNOWN TO US FROM THE ACCOUNTS OF SIMA QIAN.

THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AT ALL UNUSUAL AT THE TIME.

WHAT IS UNUSUAL, HOWEVER,

IS THE GREAT LENGTHS \h\hTO WHICH HE WENT

\h\h\h\h\hIN ORDER TO CREATE HIS POSTMORTEM ENVIRONMENT.

Schonebaum: THE IDEA IS CLEARLY THAT THE DECEASED

WOULD CONTINUE TO LIVE IN DEATH AS THEY DID IN LIFE.

AND THEY WOULD WANT THE COMFORTS THAT THEY HAD IN LIFE.

Narrator: QIN SHI HUANG DEMANDED THAT HIS MAUSOLEUM,

\h\hWHICH HAD BEEN UNDER CONSTRUCTION

SINCE HE WAS 14 YEARS OLD,

\h\hREFLECT THE SCALE OF HIS POWER AND GRANDEUR.

ANCIENT RECORDS SAY OVER 700,000 LABORERS WORKED ON THE SITE

FOR OVER THREE DECADES.

THEY CREATED A PROMINENT EARTHEN MOUND THAT RISES TO 150 FEET,

WHILE DIGGING THE EMPEROR’S \h\h\h\hROYAL RESTING PLACE

DEEP UNDERGROUND.

Shen: IN THE PAST, \hPEOPLE HAVE SAID

THAT WHILE THEY WERE \hBUILDING THE TOMB,

WORKERS DUG DOWN THROUGH THREE SEPARATE SPRINGS,

\hWHICH WE THINK MEANS THREE LAYERS OF UNDERGROUND WATER.

THAT’S ABOUT 85 TO 90 FEET \h\h\h\hBELOW THE SURFACE.

Narrator: IT WAS BRUTAL, \h\h\hBACKBREAKING WORK

THAT CAME WITH A HIGH PRICE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS LATER DISCOVERED MUTILATED SKELETONS

THAT TOLD A HORRIFYING STORY.

COUNTLESS WORKERS DIED OF EXHAUSTION

AND WERE BURIED IN MASS GRAVES.

OTHERS WERE APPARENTLY KILLED \hTO KEEP THEM FROM REVEALING

THE SECRETS AND LOCATION \h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE TOMB.

\h\hIT TOOK 38 YEARS TO COMPLETE THE MAUSOLEUM OF QIN SHI HUANG.

HIS ROYAL CHAMBER WAS PLACED IN THE CENTER OF THE BURIAL MOUND.

INNER AND OUTER WALLS WERE BUILT COMPLETE WITH WATCHTOWERS.

♪

\h\h\h\hMANY PITS CONTAINING THE WARRIORS OF THE TERRA-COTTA ARMY

WERE ALSO LOCATED NEARBY.

♪

THE EMPEROR’S UNDERGROUND PALACE WAS CONSTRUCTED

OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO,

BUT IT STILL AWAITS EXCAVATION.

Hou: QIN SHI HUANG’S TOMB

\h\h\h\h\hIS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MAUSOLEUM GROUNDS,

\hWHICH IS JUST UNDER A SQUARE MILE IN AREA.

NO ONE KNOWS FOR CERTAIN,

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT IT’S THOUGHT THAT THE UNDERGROUND PALACE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLIES UNDER THE EARTHEN MOUND THERE.

COMPARED TO OTHER \hMAUSOLEUM SITES,

\h\hTHIS IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST,

LARGEST.

Narrator: NEARLY FIVE MILLION \h\h\h\hVISITORS COME ANNUALLY

TO SEE THE EXCAVATION SITE.

WHAT DRAWS IN MOST VISITORS IS THE MASSIVE TERRA-COTTA ARMY.

OUT OF 8,000 LIFE-SIZED \h\hTERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

FOUND BY EXCAVATORS,

\h\h\h\hNOT ONE OF THEM APPEARS TO BE THE SAME.

Wang: BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGHLY \h\h\h\hREALISTIC APPEARANCE,

\hIT IS OFTEN SAID THAT THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

WERE INTENDED TO BE PORTRAITS.

\h\h\hWHILE WE CANNOT ANSWER THIS QUESTION DEFINITIVELY,

\h\hWHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THEIR METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION

WAS HIGHLY MODULAR,

\h\h\h\h\hAND THAT THIS WAS WORK CARRIED OUT BY PALACE ARTISANS.

Narrator: EXPERTS MARVEL \h\h\h\hAT THE CREATION

OF THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS,

SAYING THEY COULD NOT \h\h\hEASILY BE MADE,

EVEN WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY.

SO HOW DID QIN STATE ARTISANS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCREATE THEM?

THIS DEMONSTRATION SHOWS \hCONTEMPORARY ARTISANS

CREATING SIMILAR FIGURES \hOUT OF THE LOCAL CLAY.

IF THE CLAY IS TOO WET \h\h\h\h\hOR TOO DRY,

THE SCULPTED FIGURE \hWOULD FALL APART.

SO BACK THEN, QIN ARTISANS \hUSED A SPECIAL TECHNIQUE

TO CREATE THE WARRIORS.

\h\h\hIN THIS CASE, THEY MADE CLAY ROPES

AND FORMED THE FIGURE \hFROM BOTTOM TO TOP.

AS A RESULT, THE HOLLOW STATUES WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO COLLAPSE

UNDER THEIR OWN WEIGHT.

\h\hTHIS METHOD ALSO LENT ITSELF TO INDIVIDUALIZING EACH FIGURE.

BY ADJUSTING THE THICKNESS \h\h\h\hOF THE CLAY ROPES,

THE SCULPTORS COULD MAKE DIFFERENT SHAPED BODIES.

ONCE THE BODIES WERE COMPLETE,

\h\hTHEY WOULD ADD THE FINISHING TOUCHES, SUCH AS ARMOR DETAILS.

♪

\h\h\h\hCOMPLEX PARTS SUCH AS HANDS AND FEET

WERE MADE SEPARATELY

AND DRIED BEFORE BEING FITTED TO THE BODIES.

EXPERTS THINK THE HEADS \h\h\h\h\hWERE NOT BASED

ON THE CRAFTSMEN’S IMAGINATION,

BUT INSTEAD MODELED \hON REAL SOLDIERS.

♪

\hSTUDIES OF THE FIGURES SHOW THAT NO TWO ARE EXACTLY ALIKE.

FROM THEIR FACIAL FEATURES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND APPAREL,

\h\hIT’S POSSIBLE TO DISCERN DIFFERENCES

IN THE WARRIORS’ AGE, \hFUNCTION, AND RANK,

\hAS WELL AS DETERMINING WHERE IN THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM.

Shen: THE FACIAL FEATURES \h\h\h\h\hOF THE WARRIORS

REFLECT A RANGE OF PEOPLE \h\h\h\h\hFROM THE EMPIRE,

INCLUDING THE SHANXI AREA,

THE EASTERN PART OF CHINA, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSZECHUAN,

EVEN THE WESTERN REGION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF CHINA.

Narrator: IN 1999, \hEXCAVATORS FOUND

DIFFERENT TERRA-COTTA FIGURES

\h\h\h\hIN A PIT LOCATED NOT FAR FROM THE OTHERS.

THEY WERE IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THE SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS

OF THE TERRA-COTTA ARMY.

\hTO BEGIN WITH, THEY’RE NOT DRESSED IN MILITARY OUTFITS

OR WEARING ANY TYPE OF ARMOR,

\hNOR ARE THEY ALIGNED IN A GROUP FORMATION.

♪

\h\h\h\h\hDECORATIVE WALLS FROM THE LATER HAN DYNASTY

PROVIDE IMPORTANT CLUES.

THE BARE-CHESTED FIGURES \hARE IN DYNAMIC POSES,

VERY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR \h\hMILITARY COUNTERPARTS.

Shen: THE FIGURES LOOK LIKE THEY ARE CAPTURED IN MID-PERFORMANCE.

THEY SHOW US ANOTHER SIDE OF THE EMPEROR’S ROYAL LIFE BACK THEN.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: ROYAL LIFE DURING QIN SHI HUANG’S REIGN

\hHAD ALL THE TRAPPINGS OF LUXURY AND SPLENDOR.

♪

\h\h\h\hACCORDING TO HISTORIAN SIMA QIAN,

10,000 COURT LADIES CHOSEN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

LIVED IN THE EMPEROR’S PALACE.

THEY SERVED AT THE PLEASURE \h\h\h\h\hOF QIN SHI HUANG,

\h\h\hWITH THE BEST DANCERS PERFORMING DURING BANQUETS.

♪

AT THESE BANQUETS, ACROBATIC TROUPES

ALSO DISPLAYED THEIR SKILLS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR THE COURT.

THEY WERE CALLED "BAIXI," A WORD REFERRING TO ENTERTAINMENTS

THAT GAVE A HUNDRED DIFFERENT \h\h\h\hJOYS TO THE AUDIENCE.

INCLUDED IN THE PERFORMANCES \h\h\h\hWERE DEMONSTRATIONS

OF PHYSICAL DEXTERITY \h\h\h\hAND STRENGTH.

♪

\h\hTHE BAIXI WERE ALSO KNOWN TO TRAVEL TO THE BATTLEFIELDS

TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR SKILLS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND BOOST MORALE AMONG THE TROOPS IN THE FIELD.

♪

\h\h\hACROBATICS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST ARTS IN CHINA--

\h\hA TRADITION FAMOUSLY CARRIED ON TO THIS DAY.

THE CONTINUING EXCAVATION UNEARTHED OTHER ARTIFACTS:

ELEGANT BRONZE CRANES, \h\hSWANS, AND GEESE,

WHICH SYMBOLIZE LONGEVITY.

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN YET ANOTHER PIT, ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND STONE ARMOR

MADE FOR QIN SHI HUANG’S \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWARRIORS,

LEADING RESEARCHERS TO WONDER

\hWHAT OTHER TREASURES WILL BE REVEALED NEXT.

\h\hAS FIRST EMPEROR OF CHINA, QIN SHI HUANG WANTED TO ENJOY

THE COMFORTS AND TREASURES \h\h\h\h\h\hOF HIS EMPIRE

NOT ONLY DURING HIS LIFETIME, BUT IN THE AFTERLIFE AS WELL.

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT’S WHY HIS NEARLY 1-SQUARE-MILE MAUSOLEUM COMPLEX

\h\hCONTAINS MANY RARE AND PRICELESS OBJECTS

FROM THROUGHOUT HIS REALM.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

Yuan: QIN SHI HUANG’S MAUSOLEUM IS THE LARGEST

OF ALL THE ROYAL TOMBS IN CHINA.

\h\h\h\hWE FOUND IT TO BE RELATIVELY WELL PRESERVED,

CONTAINING A RICH ARRAY \h\h\h\h\hOF ARTIFACTS.

SO FAR, WE’VE FOUND \h\h\hABOUT 180 PITS

FILLED WITH FASCINATING OBJECTS.

IT’S A REAL UNDERGROUND \h\h\h\h\hTREASURE TROVE

THAT TELLS US A GREAT DEAL \hABOUT HIM AND HIS REALM.

\hSchonebaum: WE KNOW THAT HE SURVIVED ASSASSINATION PLOTS.

SO HE MUST’VE BEEN COGNIZANT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF THAT FACT

THAT HIS LIFE COULD END \h\h\h\h\hAT ANY MOMENT.

WE KNOW THAT HE TRAVELED WITH \hA LARGE RETINUE OF SOLDIERS

WHEN HE SURVEYED HIS NEW EMPIRE,

\h\h\h\h\h\hSO AS TO PROTECT AGAINST ASSASSINATION PLOTS.

SO, ON THE ONE HAND, IT SEEMS \hLIKE HE WAS QUITE CONCERNED,

ALMOST OBSESSED, WITH DYING.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,

HE WAS LAYING SOME OF THE MOST \h\h\h\hINTRICATE PREPARATIONS

TO GO ON LIVING AFTER DEATH.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE EMPEROR’S MAUSOLEUM

HAS YET TO BE EXCAVATED.

\h\hBUT MANY FEATURES OF THE ELABORATE WORLD

\h\h\h\hQIN SHI HUANG HAD BUILT UNDERGROUND HAVE BEEN UNEARTHED,

\h\h\hTHANKS TO THE WORK OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND ARTISANS.

♪

THE CAREFULLY ORGANIZED EFFORT

\h\h\h\h\hTO RECONSTRUCT THE WORLD OF THE EMPEROR

\hBEGINS WITH LABELING ARTIFACTS AND FRAGMENTS FOUND AT THE SITE.

[SPEAKING CHINESE]

\h\hWang Dongfeng, translated: THE LABELS HAVE TWO FUNCTIONS.

FIRST, THEY INDICATE WHERE AN ARTIFACT WAS FOUND IN THE PIT.

\h\hSECOND, IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR US TO FIND SIMILAR PIECES

\h\hWHILE WE’RE DOING OUR RESTORATION WORK.

\h\hNarrator: AS PART OF THE RESTORATION PROCESS,

\hPIECES OF THE RELICS ARE CAREFULLY CLEANED,

\h\hUSING SPECIAL TOOLS TO AVOID DAMAGING THEM.

♪

\hTHEN, A SPECIAL GLUE IS DELICATELY APPLIED

TO BROKEN PORTIONS OF THE OBJECT TO ASSURE PROPER BONDING.

THESE CRAFTSMEN KNOW THEY’RE NOT ONLY REASSEMBLING PIECES

OF AN HISTORIC ARTIFACT,

\hBUT ALSO RESTORING PIECES OF LOST TIME;

BRINGING THE PAST TO LIFE.

THIS IS HOW MANY OF THE THOUSANDS

OF TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS HAVE BEEN RECONSTRUCTED.

♪

DURING THE IMMENSE EXCAVATION \h\h\hAND RESTORATION PROJECT,

RESEARCHERS ENCOUNTERED \h\h\hANOTHER SURPRISE.

TODAY, THE WARRIORS APPEAR \hREDDISH BROWN AND GRAY,

CONSISTENT WITH THE COLOR \hOF THE CLAY IN THE AREA.

BUT IN REMOVING 2,000 YEARS \h\h\h\h\hOF DIRT AND DEBRIS

FROM THE SURFACE OF THE FIGURES,

TRACES OF VIBRANT PAINT \h\h\h\h\hWERE DETECTED.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THE TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS

LOOKED FAR DIFFERENT WHEN THEY \h\h\hWERE ORIGINALLY CREATED.

\hLan Desheng, translated: THE SOLDIERS WERE PAINTED

VERY COLORFULLY.

YOU FIND TRACES OF RED, YELLOW,

GREEN, PURPLE, AND BLACK.

THE COLORS ON THIS FIGURE FADED WHEN IT WAS EXCAVATED,

BUT WE’VE FOUND MOST SOLDIERS \h\h\hSTILL HAVE BITS OF PAINT

ON THEIR UNIFORM COLLARS.

\h\h\hNarrator: THIS IS HOW SOME OF THE WARRIORS LOOKED

WHEN THEY WERE FOUND BURIED IN THE DIRT.

\h\hBUT ONCE THE FIGURES WERE EXPOSED TO THE AIR,

THE COLORS QUICKLY DISAPPEARED, LIKE A MIRAGE.

♪

BASED ON THE RESEARCH \h\hOF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

WHO HAVE STUDIED THESE FIGURES \h\h\h\h\h\hFOR OVER 40 YEARS,

THE WARRIORS WOULD HAVE \hLOOKED VERY DIFFERENT.

♪

♪

THE FINISHED WARRIORS \h\h\hWOULD HAVE BEEN

A SPLENDID, AWE-INSPIRING SIGHT 2,200 YEARS AGO.

♪

\h\hAFTER FORGING ONE NATION OUT OF A CAULDRON OF WARRING STATES,

QIN SHI HUANG DID NOT RETREAT \h\hINSIDE HIS LAVISH PALACE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hHE MADE A NUMBER OF INSPECTION TOURS OF HIS EMPIRE,

TRAVELING UNDER THE PROTECTION \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF HIS GUARDS.

\h\h\h\h\h\hJeffrey Riegel: ON AT LEAST FIVE OCCASIONS,

THE FIRST EMPEROR MADE A TOUR OF HIS EMPIRE.

\h\h\h\hIT SEEMS IN FACT THAT HE REALLY ENJOYED DOING THIS,

\h\h\h\hTHAT HE PREFERRED GETTING OUT OF THE CAPITAL

AND SURVEYING THE LANDS \hTHAT HE HAD CONQUERED.

I THINK IT’S PART \hOF HUMAN NATURE

TO WANT TO SEE, IN EFFECT, \h\h\h\h\h\hWHAT YOU OWN.

♪

Narrator: THIS BRONZE CHARIOT \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFOUND IN PIT TWO

\hSHOWS THE REMARKABLE CRAFT OF THE QIN DYNASTY ARTISANS.

\h\hIT’S A HALF-SIZED REPLICA OF THE ONE QIN SHI HUANG RODE

DURING HIS JOURNEYS.

\hHou: THE BRONZE CHARIOT REALLY IS THE BEST RELIC,

THE CROWN JEWEL OF THEM ALL,

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU \hCONSIDER ITS SIZE

AND THE TECHNOLOGY INVOLVED \h\h\h\hIN ITS CONSTRUCTION.

\h\h\hIT CONSISTS OF ABOUT 3,000 PIECES.

EVEN USING MODERN PROCESSES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hLIKE WELDING,

YOU CAN SEE IT WOULD TAKE \h\hA GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT

TO BUILD IT.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: ORIGINALLY, TWO BRONZE CHARIOTS WERE FOUND

COMPLETELY SMASHED IN A PIT

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJUST 20 YARDS FROM QIN SHI HUANG’S BURIAL CHAMBER.

THIS SMALLER VEHICLE \hWITH A HIGH CANOPY

\hIS A HALF-SIZE MODEL OF THE ESCORT CHARIOT

WHICH RODE AHEAD OF THE EMPEROR IN A PROCESSION.

TOGETHER, THE PRESENCE OF THESE TWO CHARIOTS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMAY REPRESENT QIN SHI HUANG’S EXPECTATION

THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE \hTO CONTINUE TOURING

HIS UNDERGROUND EMPIRE \h\hIN THE AFTERLIFE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE FASCINATION GENERATED

\h\h\h\h\h\hBY QIN SHI HUANG’S TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS CONTINUES

\hDECADES AFTER THEY WERE FIRST DISCOVERED IN 1974.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT AT THE SITE OF THE FIRST EMPEROR’S MAUSOLEUM,

ONE GREAT MYSTERY LINGERS.

THOUGH HUNDREDS OF RELICS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AND EXCAVATED,

QIN SHI HUANG’S BURIAL CHAMBER \h\h\hHAS REMAINED UNEXPLORED.

\h\h\hYuan: WE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S ACTUALLY INSIDE THE BURIAL SITE.

\h\hIN HIS WRITINGS, SIMA QIAN DESCRIBES IT IN GREAT DETAIL,

\h\h\hMENTIONING THAT THERE ARE DEPICTIONS OF THE CONSTELLATIONS

IN THE CEILING OVERHEAD, \h\h\hAND ON THE FLOOR,

\h\h\h\h\hRECREATIONS OF RIVERS AND OCEANS FILLED WITH MERCURY.

Narrator: SINCE SIMA QIAN \h\h\h\hWROTE HIS ACCOUNT

\h\hA CENTURY AFTER THE EMPEROR’S DEATH,

SCHOLARS HAVE DOUBTED \h\h\hHIS DESCRIPTIONS

OF THE BURIAL CHAMBER.

BUT RECENT STUDIES HAVE FOUND

HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF MERCURY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAT THE SITE.

\hHou: SCIENTISTS USED MODERN REMOTE SENSORS

\hAND SPECTRAL ANALYSIS MACHINES TO INVESTIGATE THE BURIAL SITE.

AND WHAT THEY FOUND \h\hWAS SURPRISING.

\h\hTHE LEVEL OF MERCURY IN THE SOIL AT THE SITE

MEASURED 20 TIMES HIGHER THAN IN THE AREA SURROUNDING THE SITE.

Narrator: ONE ANCIENT METHOD OF PRESERVING BODIES AFTER DEATH

\hINVOLVES DEEP BURIALS IN AIRTIGHT CONDITIONS.

\h\h\hTHIS KEEPS OXYGEN FROM REACHING THE CORPSE

AND SLOWS DOWN DECOMPOSITION.

\h\h\h\hWHEN THIS TOMB IN HUNAN PROVINCE WAS OPENED,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS MADE \hA REMARKABLE FIND.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hINSIDE WAS A HAN DYNASTY NOBLEWOMAN

KNOWN AS THE LADY OF DAI.

\h\hHER BODY HAD BEEN BURIED NEARLY 40 FEET UNDERGROUND.

\h\hNO ONE ANTICIPATED A DISCOVERY LIKE THIS.

THOUGH HER DEATH OCCURRED \h\h\h\h21 CENTURIES AGO,

THE LADY OF DAI’S BODY \h\hIS WELL-PRESERVED.

MOST OF HER INTERNAL ORGANS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE INTACT,

AND BLOOD STILL REMAINS \h\h\h\h\hIN HER VEINS.

HER SKIN IS MOIST AND ELASTIC, \h\h\hLIKE THAT OF THE LIVING.

HER DISCOVERY LED RESEARCHERS \h\hTO CONSIDER A NEW THEORY.

[SPEAKING JAPANESE]

Suruma Kazuyuki, translated: \h\h\hWE THINK IT’S POSSIBLE

AND HE WAS BURIED DEEP IN THE EARTH.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: MORE CLUES REPRESENTING

\hHOW THE EMPEROR’S BODY MAY HAVE BEEN PRESERVED

APPEARED IN OTHER \hPARTS OF CHINA.

THIS IS A SHROUD, MADE OF JADE,

FOR A KING OF THE HAN DYNASTY \h\hWHO DIED 2,000 YEARS AGO.

Kazuyuki: IF THE EMPEROR \h\h\hWAS IN FACT BURIED

IN A SUIT OF JADE ARMOR,

IT’S POSSIBLE THE DECOMPOSITION PROCESS HAS SLOWED DOWN.

THIS METHOD OF BURIAL WAS COMMON AMONG THE QIN DYNASTY ROYALTY,

\hSO WE CAN INFER THAT PERHAPS QIN SHI HUANG

COULD HAVE BEEN BURIED THIS WAY.

Narrator: 210 B.C.

\h\hQIN SHI HUANG, ON ANOTHER INSPECTION TOUR OF HIS EMPIRE,

WAS STRUGGLING WITH ILLNESS.

♪

\h\hDESPITE HIS SEARCH FOR THE ELIXIR OF LIFE

THAT HE BELIEVED WOULD GRANT HIM IMMORTALITY,

HE DIED AT 50 YEARS OLD.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNOW BEGAN HIS LAST EARTHLY JOURNEY

\h\h\h\hBACK TO XIAN AND HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE.

\h\h\h\hHE HAD CREATED A SMALL-SCALE VERSION

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF HIS EMPIRE AND HIS PALACE UNDERGROUND,

WHERE HE COULD OVERSEE THE WORLD HE UNIFIED FOR ETERNITY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT HAD TAKEN SOME 700,000 WORKERS 38 YEARS

TO BUILD QIN SHI HUANG’S \h\h\h\h\h\hROYAL TOMB.

♪

[CREAKING]

♪

THEN, IN 210 B.C., THE EMPEROR,

TOGETHER WITH HIS MANY PRICELESS TREASURES, HIS CHILDLESS WIVES,

AND HIS DREAMS OF IMMORTALITY,

\h\h\hWAS SEALED IN HIS BURIAL CHAMBER.

[CREAKING]

HISTORIAN SIMA QIAN,

\hWRITING IN HIS RECORDS OF THE GRAND HISTORIAN,

\h\hDESCRIBED IN DETAIL WHAT THE EMPEROR’S TOMB

WAS TO HAVE CONTAINED.

Man: "THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS \h\h\h\hWERE DRAWN IN THE SKY

TO BLESS AND PROTECT \h\h\hTHE AFTERLIFE.

\h\hUNDERNEATH THE STARS WAS A MINIATURE VERSION

OF GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES.

MERCURY FILLED THE RIVER \hSO AS NEVER TO DRY UP,

AND TORCHES BURNING MERMAID OIL WILL NEVER BE BLOWN OUT."

♪

Narrator: QIN SHI HUANG \h\h\hHAD UNIFIED CHINA

FOR THE FIRST TIME, ESTABLISHING A NEW FORM OF GOVERNMENT,

\h\h\h\hUNIFORM LAWS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES,

AND A SINGLE WRITING SYSTEM.

\hANCIENT HISTORIANS SAY THE UNDERGROUND WORLD HE CREATED

\h\hREFLECTED THE GRANDEUR OF HIS MANY ACHIEVEMENTS.

BUT FOR NOW THERE’S NO WAY \h\h\hTO KNOW FOR CERTAIN

WHETHER THE ACCOUNTS DESCRIBING QIN SHI HUANG’S TOMB ARE TRUE.

\h\h\hTHE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS STEADFASTLY REFUSED TO EXCAVATE

THE FIRST EMPEROR’S \h\hBURIAL CHAMBER--

A POSITION AT ODDS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH WHAT MANY IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD PREFER.

Hou: THERE ARE NO PLANS \h\h\h\h\h\hTO EXCAVATE

THE UNDERGROUND PALACE \h\h\h\hIN THE FUTURE,

BECAUSE THE EXCAVATION ITSELF

\h\h\h\hCOULD DESTROY WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO PRESERVE.

\h\h\h\h\hYuan: THOUGH WE’RE NOT EXCAVATING THE TOMB AT PRESENT,

\h\hWE MIGHT CONSIDER WHETHER IN THE FUTURE

WE COULD USE NEW FORMS \h\h\h\hOF TECHNOLOGY

\h\h\h\h\hTO INVESTIGATE THE UNDERGROUND PALACE.

\h\h\h\h\hIN MY VIEW, I’D SAY IT’S POSSIBLE.

Narrator: FOR NOW, WE CAN ONLY \hPEER INTO THE EMPEROR’S TOMB

THROUGH ANCIENT WRITINGS \h\hAND OUR IMAGINATION.

DURING HIS LIFE, QIN SHI HUANG \h\hHUNGERED FOR IMMORTALITY.

AND NOW, OVER 2,000 YEARS \h\h\h\h\hAFTER HIS DEATH,

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHANKS TO THE WORK OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND ARTISANS

AND THE UNFORGETTABLE \h\h\hTERRA-COTTA ARMY

THAT STILL GUARDS HIS MEMORY,

HE’S ACHIEVED IT.