By: Jon A. Dela Cruz

Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors

Guardians of China's First Emperor: Qin Shi Huang

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080429-warrior-video-ap.html

I guess you can say - I was at the right place and at the right time.

This is one of the most amazing archeological findings of the 20th century. Often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness its grandeur was just too much for me to pass-up.

After attending my high school reunion in SoCal's Dana Point, I spent my remaining weekend with my daughter in Newport area. It didn't take me a beat to say "YES" when my daughter, Michelle ask me if I want to go to Bowers Museum in Sta Ana to see the China's national treasure .. the Terra Cotta warriors.

The museum presents the largest exhibit of Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army ever seen outside of China. So how can anyone miss that chance. My wife & I are both soooo into this Terra Cotta warriors, you can see replicas of them scattered around our house.

China's First Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the boy king who united the country in 221 BC and began construction of the first Great wall, was not only obsessed with building but also a fanatic about death.

After experimenting with potions to prolong his life, the megalomaniac king abdicated himself to death on his own terms. He would build a standing army of 8,000 soldiers to enforce his rule over the afterlife.

Since his birth in 259 B.C., China's First Emperor was destined to become one of the most important political leaders to rule the country. Beginning at age 13, and for the next 38 years, he assigned over 700,000 workers to build an enormous mausoleum with life-size terra cotta warriors to protect him throughout eternity.

The figures vary in height (6ft–6ft 5 in), according to their roles, the tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.

Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army, there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.

The exhibition provides a deeper knowledge of this historical site and showcases 100 sets of objects, which includes approximately 20 life-size figures.

A noted egomaniac, Qin Shi Huang was also known for building large, extravagant structures. Almost immediately after taking power, he began construction on a large wall that would link up bits and pieces of existing defensive walls throughout the country.

This would become the forerunner to the Great Wall that's still in existence, most of which was completed under a later dynasty.

This terra cotta army of soldiers, servants, musicians, acrobats, and animals silently remained underground for two thousand years. Until, in 1974, Chinese farmers digging a well made the startling discovery of a terra cotta head. The chariot is one of the only two reproductions displayed at Bowers Museum which is a fifty (50) percent scaled down of the original.

It was noted that the emperor suffered from extreme paranoia as a result of several attempts on his life from outsiders and from within the walls of his palace. He moved from one palace to another to avoid future effort to overthrow him.

And who can blame the poor Emperor when he ordered the execution ( maybe through beheading, hanging. Who knows but I can bet you it hurts ) of his entire court/officials after suspecting that one of them planned to assassinate him. The lesson here ... "IF YOU CANNOT DECIDE WHICH ONE, then CHOOSE ALL". Excellent concept.

But let's give credit where credit is due. He was known as the Emperor that unified the whole China. As head of the new empire of China, Qin Shi Huang didn't hesitate to establish a new law of the land. The Emperor quickly abolished the old feudal system, standardized the Chinese writing and currency systems, built a vast network of roads and canals to link the country and divided China into states with one centralized government.

Just three years after Qin Shi Huang's death in 210 B.C., the Qin dynasty was overthrown. The imperial system that he'd set in motion, however, would remain at work in China until 1912, when the last Emperor abdicated and China became a Republic.

Despite his reputation as an autocratic ruler, Emperor Qin Shi Huang is still regarded by many today as a pivotal figure in Chinese history whose unification of China has endured for more than two millennia.

***Besides Terra Cotta warriors display, visitors can also visit the five (5) permanent exhibits at the museum:

And one of them is the California Legacies. Here visitors to the exhibit can view this statue of Saint Anthony, which was carved in Mexico in 1801. The statue was purchased by the Mission San Juan Capistrano for 60 pesos and displayed in the Mission's Serra Chapel. After the secularization of the California missions, the statue was given to Don Bernardo Yorba, the son of the recipient of the first Spanish land grant in Orange County, Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana.

So if you happen to be in Southern California, don't miss out on this outstanding array of China's cultural treasure. Visit Bowers museum website @ http://www.bowers.org The exhibit runs through Oct. 16, 2008. After its first stop in Southern California, the exhibit travels to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the National Geographic Society museum in Washington in 2009.