Discovering the Secrets of Emperor Qin's Mausoleum

Discover the massive terracotta army, buried for centuries and revealing the grandeur of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Uncover the history, mythology, and mystery of the tomb complex and its impact on our understanding of ancient China
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[@georgecristiancripcia4819]

The ironic thing is that this tomb fullfiled the emperor ambition of eternal life.Even now we speak his name and research him,so in a way he is truly immortal.

[@iceman26541]

Nah, dude is still dead in the literal sense.

[@georgecristiancripcia4819]

@@iceman26541 Yes,but his name is remember 2000 years later and he still is studie to this day.Will someone remember our names and lives in 2000 years?

[@adamkipling7365]

You guys are being books

[@craigpoer]

It will still be amazing 1000 years from now. Long after the internet is gone

[@SuperPope69]

@@adamkipling7365 "you guys are being books" -🤓

[@me0101001000]

Studying Chinese history is incredibly fascinating. Emperor Qin commissioned this masterpiece, but this man, oh boy, he was crazy. Idk if Simon did a Biographics video on him, but he should if he hasn't.

[@xenondestiny]

Until you find out that the history book has half of the pages taken out because it "never happened" and 😂

[@bloodandempire]

Simon did a "biographics" video about him and several "side projects" videos.

[@bloodandempire]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGOphqB6ZtWsjK8

[@dwchen1]

Many of his insane policy during his reign must have something to do with mercury poisoning that affect his brain, his performance of governance, and his sanity. New revelations of Hitler's evil and mad policy and behavior by historians also reveal new informations like Hitler's addiction to drugs from his personal doctor's prescription that one way or another affected his behaviors. That doesn't mean Hitler will be less evil if he wasn't a drug addict.

[@112313]

The qin emperor was and is the most maligned, misunderstood, hated, loved , highly respected, and feared emperor in chinese history. Later dynastic historians vilified him, but every later emperors owed so much to him.

[@ToudaHell]

I've actually been there. I was so ready to be monumentally bored because I've seen pieces of it from other museums. But the necropolis itself was so old and vast, you can actually feel the history. It's so fricking unique that it blew my mind. Pictures and videos do not do it justice. It really is a once in a lifetime experience.

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

my mother went there on a guided tour (it was the only way they didn't let foreigners just go where ever they pleased), she went to the museum and got me a little terracotta warrior figure I still have in a box, she said they asked the tour guides if they could climb up the hill and were told no, she had no idea the hill was the tomb until I told her as I had watched many videos about it. I always hoped they'd open it in my lifetime but I don't think they will, personally I think its less about technology and more superstition I have heard several times they have this myth/curse idea that if they disturb him, China's unity will collapse.

[@ToudaHell]

@Sun Wukong there is a curse. I remember it in the circular cinematic documentary playing there. But I'd be more worried about people's safety. That's a lake of mercury. Being exposed to that much mercury even on the sidelines is super poisonous. Who knows what else toxic is down there. If they aren't prepared before going in, they kinda could die.

[@jwawrzon]

@@GreatSageSunWukong Neat story, but you wrote it out in the longest single sentence I have ever seen.

[@bakedstreetyt]

@@jwawrzon unless he modified his comment it is not a single sentence.

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

@@jwawrzon plenty of , and 2 . there so I don't know what you be talking about.

[@TheGenericavatar]

The standardization of the written language and wieghts and measurements for trade purproses, and other standardizations at the time was actually the work of one of the most important advisers that Qin listened to.

[@user-jn8fi3cg9c]

Prime Minister Li Si!

[@arlen_95]

I really hope I live long enough to see the tomb finally be excavated and its secret revealed!

[@jamisonr]

The importance to the historical record has to be the real treasure here. Such an intimate, albeit scary, look at an ancient culture.

[@randallsavage13]

It’s baffling that each statue has a different face and each one is unique bravo to the creator

[@vic5015]

Just goes to show how much work webt unto these. With each one possibly intended to be an individual.

[@Iknowtoomuchable]

I think it would be far more impressive if all the statues were exactly the same.

[@LuisLopez2]

@@Iknowtoomuchable nah, you're just a contrarian cruising for a high

[@chunliangzhang2506]

@@Iknowtoomuchable That is Star War's Clone war. All you need is a mold and put the production into a relication process, which is much easier task to do. Actually all Qin's army used the standard arrow heads made by this way. Instead of having you peasant's mind, the Emperor needed a luxury burial and didn't care about costs to make the "real" army guarding him in the underworld. What he wanted was individual artifacts not industrially produced junks. 😜

[@everdinestenger1548]

When you study the faces to paint them it is impressive how much their character is in them

[@waywardmind]

I saw the Terracotta Army back in 2007, and it was mind-blowing.

[@alexius23]

I visited the Terracotta Army. It was an astonishing experience.

[@alexius23]

@osunlekekehinde I don’t “Do” what’s app

[@alexius23]

@osunlekekehinde I don’t do What’s App

[@garylefevers]

My wife's favorite topic in regards to archeology. The Qin Dynasty is extremely fascinating.

[@firenter]

I visited back in 2019, it's actually kinda nuts to see IRL. The pictures do not do justice to the immense scale of EVERYTHING. And we've only scratched the surface of the things to be found and knowledge to be gained. This place is going to be a treasure trove for both archealogy and history students for many decades to come!

[@risingphoenix1088]

There was a temporary exhibit at a museum near where I live. It had actual statues from the tomb. I made sure to go and it absolutely did not disappoint. The level of detail is insane.

[@peepinR]

Me too. Mine was in Richmond VA. Well worth the visit but at the same time not quite like seeing the actual site. I hope in my lifetime we can find a way to excavate the mausoleum. It would make the treasures(and i mean no disrespect) in the Pyramids of Giza look like the treasure box one would find at the neighborhood dentist.

[@usasstar]

Same me, and my cousin that love archaeology went to the exhibit when it was here in Chicago at the field museum

[@lenger1234]

Really amazing. I was super fortunate to go and see them in 2017.

[@sjk6097]

Have been to the Terracotta Army site twice, once in 2011 and again in 2017. On the first visit I met one of the three farmers who actually discovered the first warrior (the last of the three alive) and had my photo taken with him. He also signed my tour guide. Awesome place to visit, as is the Gret Wall and the Forbidden City.

[@waynegazard5038]

He now has a nice life signing the books at the museum site, but originally he was kicked off the family farm and given a small apartment . When a USA president visited he asked about the guy that found them the authority's searched him out to meet the president don't know if he's still there as he only did so many days a week.

[@angelsinger4574]

I recently saw some photos of how the terracotta warriors looked like when first found: with gorgeous paint and details that sadly faded quickly after being exposed.

[@theresehopkins1581]

Found a cure for being a bit under the weather:... bingeing Simon Whistler videos!!!! Added benefit:... acquisition of knowledge!!! Thanks Simon!!!

[@stolennimbus]

The terracotta warriors were individually modeled after the emperor's imperial guards. When the emperor died, the terracotta warriors were buried with the emperor and all the imperial guards breathed a sigh of relief because they were not buried instead.

[@semaj_5022]

The best thing about Qin Shi Huang is that he gives builders an extra charge and let's them use charges to speed up World Wonder construction.

[@guywithdacap4713]

I see what you did there! 😄

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

He also subjugated Lo Pan, and imposed on him that horrible curse of no flesh in 272 B.C.

[@Michaelmackdonald]

Civ 6 lol 😂

[@peepinR]

Nice. I love using that faction. I dominate whenever I use them. I can just outspend every other civ and destroy them.

[@phranerphamily]

I was so very lucky to get to see these in person in April of 2021. My husband was working in China and we had been there throughout the pandemic and I told him there was no way I was coming back without seeing the terracotta warriors. Fortunately China had opened travel back up inside the country so we were able to hop a high speed train from Beijing go down to Xi'an for a couple of days and it was amazing. I wish everyone could see this. It's a definitely a wonder of the world.

[@shanshan8129]

Have you been to Lhasa and visited Potala Palace? If not, I highly recommend you take a visit, you won’t regret. It’s really amazing😭😭

[@phranerphamily]

@@shanshan8129 unfortunately we're back in the US now. The only places we got to go because COVID happened while we were there We got to visit the summer palace, tiananmen square, and the forbidden City as well as some other fun places in Beijing like the astronomy spot up on the original Beijing wall. We did get to go to Shanghai where we visited Shanghai Disney and yu garden plus the district around it. And then we got to go to Xi'an where we saw the Muslim quarter the wall and the terracotta warriors. It was really hard to do travel with COVID and so many of the lockdowns. We had gone to the UK just prior to COVID in the early part of December 2019 and so I have lots of pictures of our travel there had I known that this was coming of course we would have done more travel inside of China. I hope that we are able to get back there sometime in my lifetime and do some of the places and see some of the things that we were unable to do. Especially getting down into Southern China which we weren't able to do it all. If you want to see some of my pictures you can do so I'm Mrs Phraner on Instagram.

[@MartinKPettersson]

As a former Buddhist monk I used to love to watch videos like these where i got to experience the world through well produced and easy to follow videos. Feels like I need to start doing this again. Thank you for sharing!

[@NightRogue77]

Greetings, Bhante. I recently began walking the path, but I struggle. Social anxieties and other issues make it very difficult for me to find a Sangha, and so for 3 years I have navigated alone - I also live in an area where Buddhism is not widespread. My practice suffers, and I need guidance. May I trouble you for some guidance? Thank you 🙏🏻

[@jonhall2274]

What happened for you to become a "former" Buddhist? Did you stop the practice, or is there some reason that you're unable to still "be"(as in currently) a Buddhist Monk?

[@LostLargeCats]

@@jonhall2274 he found the internet.

[@jeraldbaxter3532]

@@LostLargeCats "Let each websearch his own salvation with diligence."😉

[@MartinKPettersson]

@@LostLargeCats 🤣

[@garethmurtagh2814]

This is amazing, the description of the mausoleum with Mercury rivers and crossbow booby traps sounds like an Indiana Jones movie!

[@BeyondEcstasy]

There's many dozens of royal mousuleums in the area. China officially will not disturb actual royal tombs (the terracotta warriors are basically a decoration outside the actual tomb) after the fiasco of the Emperor Wan Li's tomb being excavated during the cultural revolution.

[@raaf4678]

What happened to this tomb is not likely to happen again I think. Mostly I think they are trying to improve their preservation technology before excavating more royal tombs.

[@EmilyJelassi]

Fascinating video! Ancient Chinese history is so interesting. Have you done a Biographics video on the first emperor? If not, please do that! Excellent video as always Simon and team! 😊🙌🏻🔥👏🏻

[@Hoo88846]

Check out “Qin Dynasty Epic”, a Chinese historical drama based on Qin Shi Huang. Searchable on KZbin.

[@Yyxqq123]

Went there with the family last week, absolutely astonishing, like many have said, in person there is no word to describe what’s in front of you, and to think they did this thousands of years ago, amazing!

[@noreavad]

It is always fascinating to watch these videos. Such a good quality of information and images.

[@Craftlngo]

Simon, you should consider making an episode on China's naval Fleet at the beginning of the fifteenth century also known as the _Treasure Fleet_ under the command of the Admiral _Zheng He._ He undertook seven expeditions to the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian sea and south-east Asia. The chinese Naval fleet was the largest fleet in the world at this time.

[@Thinkofwhat]

And Simon will start with….the enormous Ming Dynasty DICTATORSHIP treasure fleets sail the south sea DICTATING south East Asian kingdoms:)

[@tonbopro]

He did

[@pass3d]

郑和的纪录片够多了，可以找找CCTV的，以前有过。

[@Chrismina500]

It would be so amazing to one day see inside of this tomb. I can imagine how beautiful the sky made of precious gems glistening would be.

[@AudraK]

I saw the terra-cotta soldiers a handful of years ago. One example that stuck in my memory was how the roof tile builders had to put their mark on each tile, so if it failed they could track the creator down and punish or kill them

[@Ealsante]

That's a feature that has been passed down through the dynasties - Ming Dynasty Great Wall bricks also have factory marks stamped on them, for instance.

[@levelazn]

​@@Ealsante hence made in china :P

[@jfletcher1029]

It was probably the first implementation of Quality Assurance for mass manufacturing.

[@shawnn6541]

Ooohhhh didn't know that

[@DaddyBear205]

That’s where the QA from 😂

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

The British museum extracted his mummy from the tomb long ago, and then he tried to kill brendan fraser, for me he crossed the line there and will never be forgiven for that.

[@pmc2999]

😂😂😂

[@bch4688]

Love it 😂

[@kptyler5]

Now this is how a tomb should be!!!!! Amazing stunning beautiful!!!

[@Hoo88846]

Xi’an is definitely a beautiful ancient capital of many dynasties, including Qin, Han, Tang dynasties. I was there a few years ago and it was amazing seeing the whole terra Cotta Amy along with the museums there with great ancient artifacts. I am currently watching “Qin Dynasty Epic”, searchable on KZbin, on the life of Qin Shihuang Ying Zheng. Pretty interesting and amazing production done in Hengdian China World Movie Studios. Maybe you can do a video on Hengdian China World Movie Studios as well, another Chinese mega project.

[@wingerding]

No one alive has seen the whole army.

[@Alan-pv2bi]

Fortunately I was able to visit this site in 2010. Truly incredible.

[@carloswilliams9144]

Definitely,aisan history is fascinating. Another great video Simon.

[@gregwilson9523]

Thank you for your presentations

[@conservativemike3768]

Calling Ch’in a crazy, murderous bastard is a monumental understatement, but the unrivaled historical treasures left behind in his wake are testament to Asian culture and art.

[@WayOfAges]

The first emperor appears to have pioneered the concept of mass production. The interchangeable metal crossbow parts found at this site were all cast from the same molds. As briefly depicted in the Jet Li movie “Hero”, the mass-produced crossbows required minimal training and enabled this army to overwhelm its opponents before ever engaging them in close combat.

[@shycracker]

Not him, but someone who served under him. Qin Chi Huang is basically like Cao Cao, a pragmatic technocrat.

[@WayOfAges]

@@shycracker Good point. We shouldn’t expect the emperor himself to have invented the whole concept.

[@Piperdogloveshats]

The scale of the mausoleum is so beyond my compensation … the detail, size, artistry, labor… I’ve watched and read a bit on it and I can never seem to quite wrap my head around it. And the cruelty needed to enforce the labor necessary. I don’t know exactly how it compares with the pyramids in Egypt but in my mind this blows them away. Even as a kid i remember hearing about the rivers of mercury and not being able to get that mental image out of my head. I know it’s not proven but it seems that the written accounts have been under exaggerated more often than over… I’m rambling but my goodness!

[@daning9764]

Nice summary, even though a brush over and inaccuracies here and there, to be expected. Overall well done!

[@anonymousrex5207]

I've always been so curious as to what they are going to find when they finally get inside of the tomb and are able to explore it properly... should be fascinating.

[@hisham1526]

Yeah, any plans to do that?

[@sliceofheaven3026]

@@hisham1526 Think I read that it is thought that the actual tomb is filled with supposed "rivers of" mercury. So opening the tomb could be potentially pretty hazardous at the moment with current technologies for excavation. Some estimates say that there is: "Based on estimates of mercury production in the Song era, they believe that at most we would be talking about around 100 tonnes, approximately 7 cubic metres. We may never know the secrets of the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang."

[@kuchikopi4631]

Mercury

[@KidaRosado]

Im surprised no one has suggested drones or robots. You could only briefly open it for them to go in and have an extremely long wire attached to prevent signal problems after you close it back up. Then we can at least have an idea of what is in there and what all we would need to figure out how to preserve before potentially truly opening it. It would also be a good way to safely set off any potential traps. Although Im not sure how the high levels of Mercury could affect such delicate machinery…

[@JohnnyWednesday]

How can you do an entire episode on the Mausoleum and not even talk about the Emperor's unopened tomb?!

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

I believe the delay is due to the unknown tomb contents. If the rumors are true, then there is going to be a pool or lake of mercury, and other dangerous stuff may be the major deterrent.

[@craigmoran893]

I bet they opened it in secret, and sealed it up again. Where dealing with the Communist Party here

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

@@craigmoran893 Perhaps, but, the opening of the tomb would be too obvious to do now, as there is too much security and tourism at the site for authorized or unauthorized digging without the announcement to the media. We may not see the opening until the government decides who and what happens with the contents. As they botched the original opening of the site for the digging of the terracotta army. The strange thing about the tomb is, there may be many more of them, but the government does not allow any excavations of those either.

[@SMDoktorPepper]

The fear of booby traps literally thousands of years old is going to be hilarious when it collapses in one of the fairly frequent earthquakes

[@craigmoran893]

@@jeffreyyoung4104 were talking about The ccp, i reckon its been plundered in secret. but if not - i think the traps are a lame excuse. just send in robots.

[@andreagriffiths3512]

Fascinating.

[@jeremythornton433]

This is amazing! Weird hats though.

[@L.Kramaric965]

FINALLY OPEN IT !!! DAMN

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:30 - Chapter 1 - The 1st emperor 5:05 - Chapter 2 - Constructing the mausoleum 9:40 - Chapter 3 - What lies beneath ? 15:40 - Chapter 4 - Bound in blood 18:05 - Chapter 5 - The end of the qin empire

[@sferris33]

Very well done. Maybe consider doing a video on Japan's maglev bullet train.

[@theposguy1435]

I have been thinking about this over the past few days, but I could not think where it's located ... crazy ! Thanks for the video

[@solo2r]

I have been there and IS the most amazing place I have ever seen!

[@truemoayyed8482]

Thanks Simon

[@ronaldschultenover8137]

China is the most incredible country I have ever visited

[@TangoLima1]

Sima Qian the grand historian. His surname is Sima. Qian is his name. Sima is one of about a dozen compound Chinese surnames. Most Chinese surnames are of one character. Our host Simon Whistler seem to think "Qian " is the last name. Emperor Qin's full title is Qin Shi Huangdi which translate to First Emperor of Qin. Previously all other states rulers used the title "king" or "huang". But this Qin guy one upped everybody and gave himself the title of "huangdi" or "emperor".

[@yangzhong666]

秦始皇的名字叫嬴政

[@directxxxx71]

In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang also ordered the construction of Lingqu canal (simplified Chinese: 灵渠; traditional Chinese: 靈渠; pinyin: Líng Qú) connecting the Xiang and the Li rivers, in order to attack and conquer Vietnam. The architect who designed the canal was Shi Lu (Chinese: 史祿). It is the oldest contour canal in the world, receiving its water from the Xiang. Its length reaches 36.4 km and it was fitted with thirty-seven flash locks by 825 AD and there is a clear description of pound locks in the twelfth century, which were probably installed in the tenth or eleventh century. Its design also served water conservation by diverting up to a third of the flow of the Xiang to the Li. The canal has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites tentative list. Thanks to this canal, he did successfully conquered Vietnam by building a water way chain for military supply all the way from central China to southern part of China near Vietnam. It connects li river, Xiang river, Yangtze river and Han river. China literally has had mega projects since before the birth of Jesus Christ to this day 😂😂😂

[@fajarn7052]

I've read Kingdom, my body is ready for this...wooo..

[@Jtworthy1]

Oh my god yes I love this subject

[@TanyaLairdCivil]

Now I need to see a horror movie where Qin Shi Huang actually did succeed in his quest for immortality. The "tomb" is just his house. He's still alive, just hanging out down there! He was content to mind his own business, until some archaeologists busted down his front door...

[@infinitsai]

Ever heard of mummy 3?

[@TanyaLairdCivil]

@@infinitsai Apparently not. Well I'll be damned. Looks like they already made it!

[@MrLyons77]

Sounds like the beginning to a great dark comedy lollll

[@anngo4140]

"The Myth" by Jackie Chan is loosely similar to that, albeit the movie wasn't great, lovely song though.

[@capricorn839]

I think you watched too much of The Mummy movies that you had lost touch of reality

[@amritbanga380]

I remember hearing about this tomb in 2nd grade, about 17 years ago. I’ve been waiting for them to get inside there ever since

[@PEOPLE393]

😂我也想要看看陵墓里面有多少好东西，整个帝国的好东西可能都在里面

[@karinac.3378]

I have been there just a week ago😂❤ it was amazing!!!

[@ac1455]

4:09 a little misleading, complex writing has been around at least a millennia by then though probably older than that, he just standardized it. Now that I think about it, that maybe partially why he burned so many historical texts

[@starman6468]

Imagine if we put this much dedication to our modern projects…

[@GetInGarage]

Was there in 2009, amazing place

[@RussellMillers]

The past was THE WORST! Great Vid :)

[@williemcdowell6319]

I want this guy's voice on everything I use I could listen to this guy all day

[@nuntana2]

Really? He’s clearly very well read and intelligent, but tricky to understand on occasion I thought and I’m English.

[@jameswatson5807]

@@nuntana2 You got to be joking are you from Liverpool😁

[@bankerdave888]

There is a fresh new emperor in the making right now!

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Already made.

[@schaind11]

Currently, Jay Leno is the king of the chin. 😊

[@bellybutton6138]

If not for the belief of afterlife, we will never find these 'treasures' which tells us so much of the history and culture of the past. I am super curious about his final resting place. If the surroundings are already so grand, I cannot imagine what we will find.

[@tophers3756]

Imagine the kind of domination such an emporer would exercised over his subjects to achieve such projects and wealth.

[@rogerpenske2411]

SimonYou need to do a video on who invented the fortune cookie

[@waynegazard5038]

I was told by a guide when I visited it ,the Chinese will wait until they feel they have the technology to open up main tomb he explained early archaeologists used dynamite in Egypt to access sites and even used concrete to reinstate their version of how it could of looked in crete for example after a few thousand years another 50 or so isn't going to hurt as it's fully protected against robbery now.

[@dayangmarikit6860]

Yeah, when they first discovered the terracotta army, they were painted with bright colors, but the paint quickly decayed when they got exposed to air.

[@waynegazard5038]

@Dayang Marikit the amount of work needed to re assemble terracotta warriors mind blowing had always assumed they'd been found intact, the green faced kneeling archer for example even the detail on the soles of his shoes, armour weapons, hair and caps described their rank and status so much lost information come to light

[@deannaharper7589]

Could you do an episode on the Siberian mammoth ivory fields and trade please?

[@centurycountess4949]

This was years ago, so I am going from what i remember. i know it may never happen but i would love it if one day they found the tomb of consort Zheng Fei. According to the article i ready way back in junior year highschool she was Fusu's mother and that a song or poem she was asked by the emperor to sing continuously. there was a lyric in the song/ poem that the emperor got the idea to name his first born son Fusu from. We don't know of prince fusu's birth date but according to what I heard he was somewhere in his thirties. if this is true his birth had to of fallen somewhere around the time the first assignation attempt on the emperor happen and his own birth mother conspired with her lover and the help of the prime minster to dethrone him. the emperor's mother's lover was getting upset at the delayed plan it's know what was causing the cold feet but The Emperor mother's lover outed the crime during a drunken fit. this is just a theory but i wonder if Fusu's birth may have been the result of the delay. so it be interesting if that may have been the case but that;s just a theory i had years ago in junior high. it might also explain what happened to fusu's mother. she may have died at childbirth or since the incident was so traumatic for the emperor that he vowed to never have an empress so fusu's mother was killed to get rid of a weakness as much as i hate to say it that way. years later when Fusu went against his father for the burning of scriptures and scholars, The emperor's action of sending fusu out was possibly for three reasons. One, he still has a hidden secret affection for the consort and couldn't kill the last link to their love. Two, in a more modern way The emperor wanted his son to toughen up so he sent him away to give him a tougher character believing him too soft for pleading mercy for others. Three: both one and two. this was to help fusu toughen up for the future and to protect the last link he had before became the man who he had become. This is all just a theory that I just wanted to share. not fighting to prove just i just wanted to mention it since i never had the chance. But i digress. going back to earlier like I said if they did find that consort's tomb, imagine what we may find. not saying we will find anything big but at least a side of emperor that was lost long ago when a traumatic incident changed him.

[@Malusdarkblades11]

I was lucky enough to visit there twice. It is really worth it. In my opinion more than the great wall.

[@user-cu9ju8cl1u]

The only difficulty in opening this tomb is oxidation, and without the technology to prevent oxidation, the information stored inside could literally disappear from this world

[@evapaparisteidou9040]

Thank you for being so kind to explain to me what the video was about. Those who made the video should have done a better job.

[@williamkeeton3793]

How are we not calling Simon “Mister Whistler”

[@hiimryan2388]

Idk if this was stated in the video (I didn’t watch it fully) but it is very likely the grave was robbed by Xiang yu which was why some of the spear heads and other weapons are missing.

[@vic5015]

My mom is an art historian and she believes that Sima Qian's claims of booby traps and the Chinese government's refusal to permit a full excavation are to hide the tomb already having been looted. Not recently, but probably some time in antiquity.

[@therearenoshortcuts9868]

this is actually quite likely the uprising that followed his death were by those who hated his rule i mean the tomb is right there just finished a short while ago... why wouldn't they take revenge by opening it and destroying everything inside?

[@nanonano9971]

Reasons why people think Qin Shi Huang Tomb has never been robbed. 1. There are no signs of the theft inside Qin Shi Huang Tomb. In order to explore the Underground Palace of Qin Shi Huang’s Tomb, the archaeological team used remote sensing and geophysical methods. Probing data shows that there are 4-meter-thick (13 feet) walls around the underground palace, which are also surrounded by bricks. The team found several tunnels leading to the underground palace, and found that the soil in the tunnels was not damaged by human disturbance. They also found some stealing holes, but they were far from and never led to the underground palace. In addition, archaeological team found that there were high levels of mercury detected in the Underground Palace of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, which was a strong evidence that Qin Shi Huang Tomb had not been robbed. Because once the underground palace was stolen, the mercury would evaporate along the stealing holes. more at the source: www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/tomb-robbery.htm#:~:text=They%20also%20found%20some%20stealing,Tomb%20had%20not%20been%20robbed.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

@@therearenoshortcuts9868 The necropolis was looted at least twice during the fall of Qin a few years after the first emperor's death. The terracotta army actually carried real weaponry when they were interred, so when the Qin core territories were under threat from Liu Bang's army, it is possible the Qin themselves opened up the necropolis to grab the weapons (and treasures) kept in there. The second time it was probably rebels, because they burned down the entire edifice. There are still charred remnants of timber structures found with the warriors. There used to be ceremonial halls and gardens surrounding the tomb itself. All of them were destroyed during the fall of Qin.

[@sallyjune4109]

See, this is why I read the comments. Thank you for the insights.

[@imprisonedone8054]

@@sallyjune4109 After Qi Shi Huang death the Xiognu tried to invade China. Luckily he builded a wall to stop them.

[@katiefraser7337]

Are the in situ or have they been moved to be stuck somehow to the ground in case of an earthquake or something? (I’m imagining dominoes 😬)

[@TheIndependentLens]

I went to the 1982 World’s Fair and the China exhibit had some of the figures and artifacts from the tomb along with pieces from the Great Wall.

[@zondor8123]

Once the whole warlords feared an army of Qin marching through their territory and knew they will get devastated

[@fakshen1973]

Anna sliding it in at the end like Indiana Jones saving his hat... damn... BURN...

[@karlnapp2740]

In 1991 you could still climb up stairs to the top of the mausoleum hill, just checked my old pictures with a row of vendor shacks at the base. You can still make out the old path in the middle of the video at 9:35.

[@bryanschmidt7336]

This gives hubris and excess whole new meanings

[@edkah5971]

Where did you get this information

[@vic5015]

I once asked my dad, who is Korean, what he was taught about Qin Shi Huangdi in school. He said that students are told that Qin Shi Huangdi is regarded as a brutal dictator who was also a brilliant general, leader, and administrator. And his brutality seens to have been excused as necessary in order to unify China.

[@ABC1701A]

In fairness he was hardly alone in that, many of the great unifiers/dictators were brutal, but in those days I'm not certain they could have achieved what they did without this. Different times.

[@vic5015]

@@ABC1701A ancient enmpires seem to have relied quite a bit on brute force and coercion. And China does not have much of a history of democratic rule based on the consent of the governed.

[@user-qg8mp7vm5l]

@@vic5015 Absolutely, living in ancient India, you may be an untouchable low caste all your life. Living in Europe you could be killed for being gay and not agreeing with God. In modern Britain, there was a bloody law that if you stole bread, you might be beheaded. In China you can become the prime minister of the empire because of outstanding exam results.

[@hyena8385]

Yeah let's face it, it's only in extremely recent times that empire building in the old fashioned sense of military conquest has ceased. I mean for example, let the gentlemanly demeanor of the Brits not fool anyone, democratic practices at home were not exactly exported to either the practice of conquering land which was done with lethal force or in governing them once conquered when rule on the natives was done with an iron fist.

[@thisasiankidistrashfordram374]

TBF, the Akkadian, Persian, & Roman Empires were brutal too. Administering & taking control of previously Independent Kingdoms is a puzzle. If you're gonna try to Unify & keep those massive Kingdoms loyal & unable to separate from the new, centralized authority, using Fear & Brute Force were the most frequent solutions, especially in the 200 BCs. The previous Zhou dynasty had been run as a massive federation of Feudal states for 800 years (like Medieval Europe but Bigger) & had lost Centralized control because the Feudal States & Feudal lords got too powerful &/or because the Zhou rulers had gotten too weak. The 1st Emperor probably feared becoming like the later Zhou rulers. And in those days, Strength = Military Force.

[@pianoprimo1715]

Good informative. The speaker, Simon - has an Uncanny resemblance to Ryan Reynolds.

[@did4h2k]

back in 2003 during sars i travelled china. when we got to xian we had the whole (visitable) mausoleum to ourselves! i am not shitting you, there were maybe 3 other visitors... most amazing experience ever

[@miaomiaochan]

Consider yourself fortunate to have had a tourist attraction in China all to yourself (almost). Under normal circumstances, if a tourist attraction isn't crowded to the point of you being able to smell people's breaths, then something is wrong.

[@nicholasmacdonald1]

2003? Yeah, I’ve heard the same thing from expats who lived there back then- during the SARS scare and it’s aftermath all the tourist attractions were empty, so it was a great time to go! :)

[@orin526]

Would there be a chance to make a video about the “Soviet battle mole”?

[@MikeBaxterABC]

I vested at a mall somewhere in Toronto .. way off in a corner, with no pomp or circumstance ... are exact scale models of a dozen or so, of the terracotta army .. so you can touch them and get a pic taken. I don't remember what the models are made of .. concrete maybe?

[@UncleRosie]

Simon Whistler has a slant on everything

[@whitewyvernX]

So there was a period of time the court of the now deceased Emperor of China was doing "Weekend at Burnie"? I love history.

[@deannasutterfield5950]

You've missed the fact that some of the paint found on the terra Cotta warriors was a super conductor

[@mysticmarble94]

2:45 ... "" Whata are thooooooseee "" 😅

[@LuisLopez2]

For reference, the City of Pasadena, California is 22+ square miles.

[@hyena8385]

Really, that's nuts.

[@joewright2304]

I'm actually surprised that no one has thought of drilling a hole from the top of the mausoleum and lowering a camera to see what is actually there.

[@Iknowtoomuchable]

*Qin Shi Huang:* _Wants to live forever_ *Also Qin Shi Huang:* _Builds extensive necropolis for when he dies_ Curious.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

To be fair, it's always good to have a backup plan. He may have been ambitious, but also realistic.

[@breadnewbie6326]

someone at his capacity most likely will have multiple backup plans in important things.

[@silverchairsg]

Hedging his bets

[@extraterrestrial7424]

I think this is the man from whom the creators of Stargate's Ra took inspiration.

[@finstor3386]

China, Inda and the middle east are endlessly facinating.

[@sirloin6856]

I wonder if those statues were modeled after actual soldiers who served him. Maybe the statues of some of his best generals will be found

[@antawn7174]

This has nothing to do with anything but this story is being adapted into a really good manga

[@TL-fe9si]

Kingdom

[@luffyjam]

Hopefully they discover statues of the Hi Shin unit.

[@steveballmersbaldspot2.095]

I hope they're able to excavate the tomb proper in my lifetime. I imagine it'd be spectacular in there if it's still in one piece.