兵马俑的秘密(Secrets of the Terracotta Army.)

Secrets of the Terracotta Army 兵马俑的秘密 It was a firm belief among the ancient Chinese that there was life after death.In order to have a better life in the next world after his death, Qin Shihuang started the construction of a mausoleum, a project that took seven years to complete. He was fully aware of the importance of armed forces, and in order to protect him in the afterlife he had images made of his troops, which were buried near him to guard his soul. The terracotta army was thus formed. When these warriors and horses were shown to the world, everybody was impressed by the fact that they were life-size as well as by their huge number. Subsequent excavation of the first, second and the third vaults made clear their formation and battle array. These magnificent vaults serve as life-size reproductions of the Qing army of ancient China. The Qin warrior figures show distinctive individual personalities, with different facial expressions. For instance, a face with a broad forehead, high cheekbones, thick brows, large eyes and stiff beard is the face of a strong and fearless man, whereas a round face with regular features reveals an honest and open-hearted character. An oval face with fine features shows a gentle desperation. Then there is a square face with honest simplicity clearly written all over it. The young soldiers generally have chubby faces and are smiling naively. The older soldiers with lined fireheads, appear to be weather-beaten veterans who have seen much of the world.