Analysis of Terracotta Army and the First Emperor of China’s Legacy

Analysis of the Terracotta Army and the First Emperor of China’s Legacy
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The discovery of the Terracotta Army is regarded as the most significant archeological finding during the 20th century with regards to linking the ancient world to the present (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2017). Chinese farmers were first to uncover some clay fragments of terracotta figures while digging a well in 1974 in the village of Xi’an, but little did they know that their discovery is the legacy of the First Emperor of China (Cincinnati Art Museum, 2018). The Terracotta Army is made-up of almost 8,000 life-sized figures with generally unique features made from terracotta or “baked earth” that consisted of sculpted warriors, complete with matching armor, chariots and horses (Jian & Sung, 2017). Added by Jian & Sung (2017), the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, ordered the creation of these terracotta warriors to accompany him towards his continued conquest of the world in the afterlife.
Although the Terracotta Army was discovered about 45 years ago, authors and museum curators Li Jian and Hou-Mei Sung emphasized that further study of the excavated cultural materials of the First Emperor’s mausoleum complex are needed to provide deeper understanding about ancient China's beliefs and customs, such as the role of the Terracotta sculptures on revealing the narrative behind the First Emperor’s rise to power, the birth of the Qin Empire and the Emperor’s quest for immortality, especially traditions concerning the afterlife. Additionally, this deeper understanding will provide cultural exchanges between China and other nations where appreciation of ancient visual culture can create favorable opportunities for international solidarity (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2017). In this paper, the three sections of the exhibition held in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Cincinnati Art Museum titled Terracotta Army: The Legacy of the First Emperor, which includes the Unification of China, Birth of the Qin Empire, and the Quest for Immortality, as well as the items in the Emperor’s mausoleum that are related with the three sections, will be analyzed since these discovered materials lead to the understanding of the significance and raising new arguments about the First Emperor’s customs and traditions.
The first section is all about the First Emperor and the unification of China. Initially, China is divided into seven warring states that are ruled by different kings where military might the basis of power (Cincinnati Art Museum, 2018). The king of Qin, one of the seven warring states, was age thirteen when he ascended to the throne, but he conquered all the other states through continuous and victorious military conquest, which lead to the unification of China and eventually proclaimed himself as the First Emperor of Qin (Cincinnati Art Museum, 2018). In the First Emperor's mausoleum, items such as chariot with horses, bronze coins, Stele of Mount Yi and the like that were unearthed together with the Terracotta army directly reflects power of the emperor and the unification of China (Jian & Sung, 2017).
The chariot with horse represented the emper...