Eternal Army

This title is re-issued to coincide with the major exhibition The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army at the British Museum 13th September 2007 - 8th April 2008. This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition will explore one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and provide an insight into China's First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, and his legacy.Was he a power-hungry maniac, with designs even on the spirit world? A man obsessed by hate for his contemporaries who believed he had to defend himself even in the next life by means of a magic army? Or, a man of his times, a sovereign with innovative ideas, conscious of having implemented political designs already underway long before his time? The mystery lives on, and this book uses the most recent historical and archaeological data provided by the funeral site and various ancient texts to provide some answers. The multitude of terracotta statue warriors that surround the immense burial site of the first emperor in a line that would continue until the dawn of the 20th century - is indeed an awesome sight. But the reason for their appearance at the famous tomb has long been a mystery.The volume aims to provide an unprecedented profile of Qin Shi Huangdi.
A photographic essay compiled expressly for this work is accompanied by the comments of an internationally respected expert in Chinese art and history.