Qin Dynasty- The Terrecotta Warriors

Ying Zheng, also known as Qin Shihuangdi or First Emperor of the Qin, had a short lived reign (221- 207 BCE), but during his reign he accomplished many astonishing things. He standardized script, currency, weights and measures throughout China and he also undertook massive public works, including the Great Wall of China and his tomb complex that included over seven thousand life size terra cotta warriors which were first discovered by a farmer and excavated in 1974.

These warriors were made from loess clay, which can be found in Northern China near Xi'an, and the clay was pressed into large press molds to create the basic shape of the warriors. They were then modeled after real warriors with amazing detail, giving specific hairstyles and facial expressions to each warrior. They were then fired and cooled in reduction atmosphere which gave them an ash grey color and added strength to the body as the iron fluxed out. Once they were fired the soldiers were painted with cold paint in the colors such as white, green, red, black, and China purple. They were then finished with a lacquer. Unfortunately, when the warriors were excavated the paint the adorned the figured flaked off or quickly faded.

These sculptures are amazing for their great number and size along with the astonishing amount of detail and realism. Out of the forty thousand figures, one third were that of life scale and smaller armies were built to guard the perimeter of the tomb. Not only were warriors uncovered, but also horses, chariots, servants, concubines and much more in other pits that were discovered around Emperor Qin's tomb.