1 Professor Crazy
Hello. My Name is Wang Shu. I am a Theoretical Physicist and a professor by profession. My students don't call me "Professor Crazy" for no reason. Students know that I am working on something, which can make any person on this planet conclude that I'm mad, - A time Machine. Little do they know, that I'm already there.
People like you think of time normally as being a straight line… Past to present to future, that's the normal flow. I have successfully figured out how to alter that. And one strong reason that inspired me to choose this profession and this dream was "The Terracotta Army".
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Since earliest childhood, I have been strangely fascinated by the mysteries surrounding the Chinese Terracotta Army. In 1974, the most important archaeological discovery in the world took place when more than 8000 life-size clay warriors were uncovered in Xi'an, China. The clay army lies in the greatest mausoleum in the world, and archaeologists assert that it was meant to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in his journey after death. Each soldier was created with unique characteristics and was placed according to rank. Horses, weapons and other objects were also discovered.
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. He became King at the age of 12 and lived in the 2nd century BCE. According to historical records, he had an army of one million professional soldiers built, and was the one who initiated construction of the Great Wall of China.
The Emperor made sure that his tomb would be booby-trapped so that robbers wouldn't be able to access it. It is mentioned that he used poisonous arrows that are automatically triggered, mercury, and other traps that could bring death upon any intruder. The secrets of the tomb are not known since most of the people that worked at building the Emperor's tomb were killed.
Labeled the eighth wonder of the world, the Terracotta Army represents to a large extent the style and features of the Qin dynasty. Its quantity and quality are extraordinary, providing valuable information for in-depth study of the armed forces, economics, politics, culture and art of the time. Together with terracotta warriors and horses, many bronze weapons were also found and they are still shining as new as they were 2,000 years ago. Experts discovered that every bronze sword has a dense layer of chromium dioxide on the surface. However, this technology, electroplating of chromium, did not appear until the 20th century. The reason for it is awaiting discovery.
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The Workers were digging a well outside the city of Xi'an, China, when they struck upon this greatest archaeological discovery in the world: a life-size clay soldier poised for battle.
The diggers notified Chinese authorities, who dispatched government archaeologists to the site.
They found not one, but thousands of clay soldiers, each with unique facial expressions and positioned according to rank. And though largely gray today, patches of paint hint at once brightly colored clothes. Further excavations have revealed swords, arrow tips, and other weapons, many in pristine condition.
The soldiers are in trench like, underground corridors. In some of the corridors, clay horses are aligned four abreast; behind them are wooden chariots.
The terracotta army, as it is known, is part of an elaborate mausoleum created to accompany the first emperor of China into the afterlife.
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The original name of the king was Ying Zheng. He took the throne in 246 B.C. at the age of 12. By 221 B.C. he had unified a collection of warring kingdoms and took the name of Qin Shi Huang Di—the First Emperor of Qin.
During his rule, Qin standardized coins, weights, and measures; interlinked the states with canals and roads; and is credited for building the first version of the Great Wall.
According to writings of court historian Siam Qian during the following Han dynasty, Qin ordered the mausoleum's construction shortly after taking the throne. More than 700,000 laborers worked on the project, which was halted in 209 B.C. amid uprisings a year after Qin's death.
Four pits have been partially excavated. Three are filled with the terracotta soldiers, horse-drawn chariots, and weapons. The fourth pit is empty, a testament to the original unfinished construction.
Archaeologists estimate the pits may contain as many as 8,000 figures, but the total may never be known, unless there can be a time machine – to bring back the lost army.
Current excavation of the Terracotta Army only accounts for 1% of the whole Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, just the tip of the iceberg. But even on this little "tip", there are still many mysteries waiting to be uncovered. And this was my dream - to uncover all the mysteries related to these warriors. Little did I know that my actions could lead to something that would completely change the world that we live in - "The Return of the Terracotta Army".
