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Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, and friends, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is one of the places that attracts archaeologists, historians, along with many experts and researchers. Upon discovering this mausoleum, there are over 8,000 terracotta soldiers, life-sized, from their hairstyles, facial expressions, to their demeanor. While most of the mausoleum complex has been excavated, the main tomb, 2,200 years old, of Qin Shi Huang remains a mystery to this day. Scientists have never dared to penetrate this tomb, even though it is believed to hold valuable historical information. So, what is the reason that makes archaeological researchers afraid to enter the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang? Please join us for our following compilation.
Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BC. He was the 36th king of the Qin Dynasty and simultaneously the initiator of a new era by ending the Warring States period and unifying China. He inherited the throne after his father and became king at the age of 13, and emperor at 38, after successfully conquering the six major states. Qin Shi Huang personally chose the title "Shi Huangdi" to express the greatness of the Qin Dynasty compared to previous dynasties. Accordingly, the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has always attracted the attention and interest of scientists, archaeologists, and the public, especially after the accidental discovery of the terracotta army protecting his tomb in 1974. The tomb is located in Lintong District, 30 km northeast of present-day Xi'an, and was built over 38 years, from 246 BC when he was only 13 years old and king of a smaller region, until 208 BC, two years after his death. The cause of death may have been mercury poisoning. According to the BBC, historical documents indicate he was obsessed with drinking mercury to achieve immortality. He often drank wine containing mercury and may have died from mercury poisoning at the age of 49.
Since the discovery of the mausoleum, experts have conducted numerous excavations. Among these, they discovered some terracotta soldiers with empty hands. Each terracotta statue in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is unique, with different colors, facial expressions, and hairstyles. When studying the terracotta army of Qin Shi Huang, experts discovered that many soldiers were in a posture with their hands holding weapons, pointing forward. Some other terracotta statues were in a half-kneeling position, with both hands holding weapons around their waists. The weapons equipped for the terracotta army included various types such as swords and crossbows. However, experts discovered some terracotta soldiers in a posture where both hands seemed to be holding something. Yet, despite thoroughly examining the excavation area, researchers still could not find what was placed in these soldiers' hands. According to experts, these terracotta soldiers might have held a type of weapon in their hands. However, after thousands of years, some weapons in the ancient set have completely decomposed over time.
In addition to the terracotta army, experts also discovered lamps, known as "eternal lamps." When discovered, archaeologists were astonished because they were still burning brightly as if they had never been extinguished for thousands of years, despite being in a dark, damp environment underground for thousands of years. Initially, they were considered mere rumors and fabrications, but later, considerable evidence confirmed the existence of this eternal light. A long-standing hypothesis suggests that the never-extinguishing lamps were lit by a special material, whale oil, rather than ordinary wax candles. Some ancient Chinese texts mention that whale oil was used for lighting due to its extremely high durability.
While most of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang complex has been explored and excavated by archaeologists, the main tomb of this king has never been entered by any archaeologist. This further shrouds the tomb of this king in mystery. The first identified reason is that experts fear that opening it will encounter terrifying traps inside this world-famous archaeological site. These traps come from weapons and toxic mercury. One hundred years after the death of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian wrote a book describing the mausoleum complex and the potential traps within the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. According to historian Sima Qian, the mausoleum and surrounding structures were built by 700,000 workers. Sima Qian knew that the mausoleum contained a significant amount of liquid mercury, which could form rivers and lakes on the map of China on a larger scale. Furthermore, mercury at that time was considered a longevity elixir. Mercury could be processed from cinnabar ore since ancient times.
According to current geographical radar and gravity surveys, the area containing the coffin of this emperor is 80 x 50 x 15 meters in volume, with its ceiling about 30 meters above the surrounding ground. The tomb mound resembles a pyramid with an area of approximately 380 x 330 square meters and a current height of about 50 meters. The current understanding of archaeologists is that the central area has never been opened or looted. Craftsmen were ordered to build crossbows and arrows to shoot anyone who invaded the tomb. Toxic mercury was used to simulate large rivers like the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the great sea surrounding the mausoleum to protect the emperor's sleep. Even if the 2,000-year-old crossbows and arrows were damaged, the toxic mercury rivers could still sweep away those who dared to disturb the emperor's sleep.
While some scientists dismiss Sima Qian's accounts, a 2020 study indicated that mercury concentrations around the mausoleum were significantly higher than expected. Using light detection and ranging techniques, scientists from South China Normal University located mercury in the soil from three different locations around the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. The results showed mercury concentrations in the main mausoleum area reached 27 ng/m³, significantly higher than the mercury concentrations around the mausoleum complex, which were about 5-10 ng/m³. The journal Nature wrote, "Mercury is highly volatile and can escape through cracks that develop in the structure over time, and our investigation supports ancient chronicles about the tomb, which is said to have never been opened or looted."
Secondly, the fear of mercury traps is not the only thing preventing archaeologists from excavating the mausoleum, as they also have concerns that opening the tomb could damage it. Even when archaeologists conduct meticulous investigations, the mausoleum has to be postponed to await improved methods to protect artifacts from exposure to air and rapid deterioration. They do not want to lose important historical information at this world-famous archaeological site, as currently only invasive archaeological techniques can access the tomb, and this naturally carries a high risk of causing irreparable damage. One of the clearest examples of this comes from the excavation of the city of Troy in the 1870s by the German amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. With his haste, his work destroyed almost all traces of the very city he set out to discover. Archaeologists are certain that they do not want to lose patience and make similar mistakes again.
Scientists have proposed the idea of using non-invasive techniques to look inside the mausoleum. One idea is to use muons, subatomic particles produced by cosmic rays colliding with atoms in the Earth's atmosphere, which can penetrate structures like advanced X-rays. However, this proposal has been slow to implement. The Terracotta Army and the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, even though this mausoleum remains a challenging puzzle for experts and scientists. Currently, the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum complex is sealed but not forgotten. It is hoped that in the future, with the advancement of science and technology, experts will be able to explore and decipher the mysteries that have remained intact within the mausoleum for over 2,000 years.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, when mentioning the world's top famous emperors, one cannot fail to mention Qin Shi Huang. He was from the state of Qin and unified the Chinese land from six other states: Han, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Qi, which were historically known as the Seven Warring States. Specifically, in 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang completely unified the lands that had been divided for hundreds of years and brought China under a single entity, ruled by the Qin Dynasty. Immediately thereafter, he also unified currency and measurements to bring China together. This demonstrates the foresight of the first emperor of this Chinese land. And for decades, posterity still remembers Qin Shi Huang for his most outstanding achievement: conquering the remaining separatist forces. In the early stages, the Qin state's potential was not considered too strong. At that time, the strategy used by the Qin state was "far diplomacy, close attack," meaning to make alliances with distant states and attack nearby states, but first, they had to pacify the country. After nine years on the throne, Qin Shi Huang, then known as Ying Zheng of Qin, sought to eliminate the political factions that held great power in the court, such as the Prime Minister Lao Ai. Afterward, Ying Zheng received help from close officials like Li Liao, Li Si, and many famous generals such as Wang Jian, Wang Bi, Meng Ao, Meng Wu, and Meng Tian. Ying Zheng planned to attack the vassal states with the aim of unifying all of China. Specifically, Qin formed alliances with Qi and Yan, two states to the east with no common border with Qin, temporarily pacified Wei and Chu, and attacked Han and Zhao. The key to victory was that the Qin state knew how to leverage its strengths and the weaknesses of the other states. Among the states of comparable size, Chu was the largest but its population was unevenly distributed, making it easy to divide. Qi had a prosperous economy and culture but only focused on wealth and neglected military defense. Only Zhao harbored the same ambition to conquer the entire realm and closely followed every step of the Qin state, but sadly, its strength was insufficient.
To conquer Han first, they had to choose a small, easy-to-attack state. Han was the smallest state among the seven states during the Warring States period and had suffered many attacks from Qin, making the country even weaker. In 234 BC, Qin planned to attack Han, but after realizing that Zhao intended to support Han, they decided to send Huan Mei to lead troops to attack Pingyang and Wucheng of the state of Zhao. Over 100,000 Zhao troops were annihilated, and the Zhao general, Mo Chi, was killed. At this point, the state of Han officially lost hope of saving its destiny. In 230 BC, 100,000 Qin troops attacked the capital Yangdi of Han. King Han An Wang surrendered. Qin established the Han region as Yongchuan Commandery.
Attacking Zhao. The first target of Ying Zheng of Qin was the state of Zhao. At that time, Zhao was the strongest among the six states and the biggest obstacle on the path to unifying the realm. Zhao had many famous generals like Li Mu and Pang Yan. Qin troops attacked many times but were repelled. In 236 BC, the state of Zhao attacked Yan. The Qin state, using the excuse of rescuing Yan, attacked Zhao. After this, Qin occupied nine cities of Zhao, severely weakening the strength of the Zhao army. In 232 BC, Qin troops attacked Zhao from two directions but were defeated by Li Mu. In the following years, Zhao suffered two consecutive natural disasters: earthquakes and crop failures, making the domestic situation even more difficult. In 229 BC, Qin took advantage of this situation and sent troops led by Wang Jian, Huang Hui, and Yang Wenhe to attack Zhao. Three Qin armies attacked, closing in on the capital Handan. Li Mu and Sima Shang bravely defended at Feilü. Qin troops could not attack. To escape the tense situation, the Qin troops found a way to bribe the Zhao Prime Minister, Guo Kai, causing Guo Kai to slander Li Mu to the King of Zhao, accusing him of betrayal. The King of Zhao believed the words and recalled Li Mu, sending Zhao Tong to replace him. Li Mu refused. The King of Zhao became even more convinced that he intended to rebel and sent people to arrest and kill him. Zhao Tong replaced Li Mu. The Qin troops knew that Li Mu had been replaced and immediately launched an attack. The Zhao army could not resist and was defeated. Qin troops captured Handan, and the state of Zhao was lost.
Conquering Wei. Wei bordered Qin to the west, Qi to the east, Han to the southwest, Chu to the south, and Zhao to the north. In 225 BC, 100,000 Qin troops under the command of Wang Jian attacked Wei. Wei sought help from Qi, but the Qi general, Hou Sheng, accepted bribes from Qin and advised the King of Qi not to help Wei. Qin troops attacked the capital Daliang of Wei, which is present-day Kaifeng, Henan. This was a city surrounded by a deep moat, making it very difficult to attack. The Qin state's technological advancements at that time led to unprecedented economic and military development. Afterward, Wei lost the western region of the Hexi Corridor, a strategically important grazing area on the west bank of the Yellow River, in the area that is now the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, to the Qin state. From then on, Wei was continuously invaded by Qin until its collapse. This forced Wei to move its capital from An邑 to Daliang. Bi Qi devised a plan to divert the Yellow River and build a dike at the lower reaches to flood the city. The Qin troops dug a water diversion channel for three months, which was completed. Then, it rained heavily for ten consecutive days. Seeing the rushing water, the city of Daliang was completely flooded, killing over 100,000 people. Many sections of the city wall collapsed, and the Qin troops invaded. The King of Wei and his officials were writing a petition for surrender when the Qin troops arrived, arrested them, put them in prison carts, and took them to Xianyang. The state of Wei was lost.
Conquering Chu. In 224 BC, King Ying Zheng of Qin convened a meeting to discuss plans to attack Chu and asked the generals how many troops were needed. Li Xin requested 200,000 troops, while Wang Jian said 600,000 troops were needed. Li Xin, believing Wang Jian was old, placed his trust in Li Xin's youth, giving him 200,000 troops and appointing Meng Tian as deputy general. Wang Jian resigned due to old age and illness. The Qin army started favorably with Li Xin's victory at Pingyang, present-day Henan, and Meng Tian's at Linyuan, present-day Anhui. The Qin army then encountered the Chu army led by Xia Yan. The Chu army actively avoided engaging with the main Qin force and waited for an opportunity to counterattack. During this time, Xiang Yan, a nobleman of Chu who was then Prime Minister of Qin, betrayed Qin and occupied a city near Li Xin's encampment. Xia Yan ordered his troops to follow Li Xin's army for three consecutive days and nights before launching a surprise attack. At the same time, Xiang Yan attacked from behind, leaving Li Xin's army unable to react. The Qin army fled in large numbers. The Chu army pursued for three days and nights, killing seven military commanders and most of the Qin soldiers. The King of Qin dismissed Li Xin and personally visited Wang Jian to apologize for not listening to him earlier and asked Wang Jian to return to attack Chu for revenge. The King of Qin granted the requested 600,000 troops and appointed Meng Wu as deputy general. Wang Jian feared that the King of Qin would be suspicious if he requested so many troops, so he continuously sent letters to the King of Qin requesting provisions and land grants for his relatives and family, to reassure the King of Qin that he would return.
In 224 BC, Wang Jian's army entered Chu and camped at Mount Tianchong. The Chu army, led by Xia Yan, attacked with all its might, but Wang Jian held firm and did not engage, despite the Chu army's attempts to provoke him. The Qin troops simply kept their gates shut and refused to fight. For over a year, Xia Yan became discouraged, believing Wang Jian was old and afraid to fight, so he withdrew his troops. Wang Jian realized that the time was ripe for a surprise counterattack. He selected the strongest soldiers and attacked the Chu army. The Qin army, having been well-fed and rested, fought fiercely. The Chu army, caught by surprise, suffered a heavy defeat and was pursued all the way to Hubei. Xia Yan was killed. In 223 BC, Qin troops attacked the capital Shouchun of Chu and captured the King of Chu. The following year, Wang Jian and Meng Wu led troops to attack the Wu and Yue regions, capturing the remaining Chu nobles. The state of Chu was lost.
Destroying Yan. In 228 BC, after completely conquering Zhao, Qin troops under the command of Wang Jian were stationed in Zhongshan, preparing to attack Yan. In the face of this situation, the Yan official, Guo Kai, advocated for an alliance with the three states of Dai, Qi, and Chu to resist Qin, and sent envoys to establish relations with the Xiongnu in the north. However, Crown Prince Dan, who had once been a hostage in Qin, was eager for revenge because the King of Qin, Ying Zheng, had refused to release him and allow him to return home, forcing him to flee. Believing Guo Kai's strategy was a long-term plan and that a military alliance was unlikely to succeed, he sent Jing Ke as an assassin to assassinate the King of Qin. The assassination attempt failed, giving the King of Qin further reason to accelerate the invasion of Yan.
In 227 BC, Qin troops led by Wang Jian and Meng Wu as deputy general attacked Yan. The Yan army was heavily defeated, and Qin troops approached the capital of Yan, Ji, present-day Beijing. King Xi of Yan and Crown Prince Dan fled to Liaodong. Wang Jian fell ill and requested to resign. Li Xin led over 1,000 troops in pursuit, annihilating a large number of Yan troops. The King of Yan sought help from the King of Dai. King Dai replied, advising the King of Yan to kill Crown Prince Dan to atone for his crime against Qin. The King of Yan had to kill Crown Prince Dan, who had ordered Jing Ke to assassinate Ying Zheng. He presented the head to seek peace. The Qin troops accepted the peace offering and did not invade Yan for the next three years.
In 222 BC, Wang Bi led Qin troops to attack Liaodong, annihilating the remnants of the Yan army and capturing King Xi of Yan, marking the end of Yan's existence.
Eliminating Qi and Unifying the Realm. In 264 BC, King Jian of Qi ascended the throne at a young age. Empress Dowager ruled as regent. After the Empress Dowager's death, Tian Dan became the general of Qi. Tian Dan accepted bribes from Qin and always advocated for the King of Qi to maintain peace and subservience to Qin. Therefore, King Jian followed a policy of serving Qin diligently and did not respond to the alliances proposed by Lord Yuan, Lord Pingyuan, and Pang Nuan. As a result, for over 40 years since King Jian of Qi ascended the throne, the state of Qi enjoyed peace and no wars. The people of Qi became accustomed to a peaceful life and did not focus on military training.
In 221 BC, after Chu was destroyed, Qi was the only state not yet conquered by Qin. King Jian of Qi and Tian Dan then became worried and moved troops to guard the western border. The King of Qin used the excuse that King Jian had once refused to meet his envoy as a reason to attack Qi. He sent a letter to Wang Bi, who had just destroyed Yan and Dai to the north, to attack Qi directly. The Qi army, having not fought for 40 years, was weak and had extremely low morale. The people were accustomed to peace and fled as soon as tens of thousands of Qin troops approached. The Qin army thus marched directly to the capital Linzi of Qi, present-day Zibo, with almost no significant resistance. Wang Bi and Li Xin took all of Shandong without having to fight. King Jian of Qi did not resist but surrendered with his entire family. The state of Qi was lost, and China was completely unified under the King of Qin.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thus, in 221 BC, Ying Zheng of Qin brought China into a period of unification after many years of war and chaos. He did not call himself king but emperor, thus Qin Shi Huang, becoming the first emperor in Chinese history. He played an important role in the development of the autocratic monarchy. After 12 years of reign, he died of illness on a tour in 210 BC at the age of 49. Just three years later, numerous rebellions broke out, leading to the end of the Qin Dynasty and the transition to a new era in Chinese history: the Han Dynasty.