SANTA ANA, Calif.—Little did the world or China realize that in a small hill in the vicinity of Xi'an City (in Shaanxi Province), which was once the capital city of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, was a mausoleum patterned after the emperor’s palace compound of the Qin Dynasty. While drilling a well, local farmers working in the area in 1974 accidentally discovered ancient artifacts that included terracotta warriors and horses.
These relics were actually part of a very large underground mausoleum, built by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty almost 2,200 years ago. Until March 2012, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Calif., is again presenting rare relics from this period.
The First Emperor
Emperor Qin Shihuang (259–210 B.C.) reigned for 37 years, starting in 245 B.C. at age 13. His name was Ying Zheng before his conquest of the neighboring six states. His life reads much like a James Bond movie.
