Qin Shi Haung Di was the first emperor of the Qin Empire in China during the 3rd century BC. Born in 261 BC, Haung inherited the throne from his father at the tender age of 13 years old and demonstrated his ambitious spirit by unifying China and creating his empire (Swart 1984). While he is best known for building the Great Wall of China, he also left behind an important legacy when it comes to his elaborate cemeteries. In 246 BC, thirty-six years before his death in 210 BC, Emperor Qin began planning the construction of his extravagant final home (Swart 1984). The Emperor's mausoleum was essentially a small underground city that displayed Qin's power and influence using different artistic mediums. The tomb site of Emperor Haung is located in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, near the city of Xi'an in China (Kesner 1995). After its completion in 210 BC, it was covered by earth quarried from an area near the Wei River, isolating it from the outside world for over two thousand years (Swart 1984). While ancient historians wrote about the incredible tomb, hidden under a huge pile of earth, many modern historians simply didn't believe it was real. However, between 1932 and 1970, five figures of kneeling servants were found near where the grave mound was thought to be located (Swart 1984). The mausoleum itself was finally unearthed in 1974 by farmers who were digging wells and accidentally stumbled upon a vast pit containing life-size statues of some 6,000 soldiers and horses. A group of Chinese archaeologists were tasked with excavating the site and unearthing its ancient treasures. In 1976, two more underground pits were found with approximately 1,500 additional soldiers and horses (Swart 1984). In addition to the clay soldiers and horses, brass figures were discovered... in the middle of the paper... stunningly beautiful, it was also a wealth of information about the people and culture of ancient China during his reign. Works Cited Swart, Paula and Barry D. To 1984 Bronze carriages from the tomb of China's first emperor. Archaeology.Volume 37 (pp. 18-25)Kesner, Ladislave1995 Nobody's Likeness: (Re)presentation of the First Emperor's Army. The Art Bulletin. Volume 77 (pp.115-132)Wake, Val2005 10 days in China. AQ: Australian Quarterly. Volume 77, no. 2 (pp. 15-19, 38)Patel, Samir S. and Zach Zorich2007 Purple Reign. Archeology. Volume 60, No. 5 (pp.25-27)Fitzhugh, Elizabeth West and Lynda A. Zycherman1992 A purple barium copper silicate pigment from ancient China. Conservation studies. Volume 37, no. 3 (pp. 145-154)Rudolph, Richard C1975 The First Emperor's Army: A Major Chinese Discovery. Archeology. Volume 28, no. 4 (pp. 267-269)