[Terracotta Army Cultural Significance]

TERRACOTTA ARMY
-a form of funerary art buried with the emperor Qin Shi Huang Di and whose
purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
Funerary art - is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the
remains
of the dead.

Funerary art may serve many cultural functions:

1. It can play a role in burial rites,
2. It can serve as an article for use by the dead in the afterlife,
3. and celebrate the life and accomplishments of the dead

Moreover, it is significant because the hundreds of detailed life-size

models represent the army that triumphed over all other Chinese armies in
the Warring States Period, and who ushered in the united imperial China era
2,200 years ago.
According to writings of court historian Siam Qian during the following
Han dynasty, Emperor Qin ordered the mausoleum's construction shortly
after taking the throne. It took more than 700,000 laborers to work on the
project, which was halted in 209 B.C. amid uprisings a year after Qin's death.
Reasons of Creating the Terracotta Army
First Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di ordered the creation of this army of terracotta
statues. It was made to be buried with him.
1. AN AFTERLIFE ARMY
As part of first Emperor Qin's mausoleum, first Emperor Qin's
mausoleum was built to safeguard and serve him in his afterlife. The
emperor believed that objects like statues can be animated in the
afterlife, and he would have the same military power and imperial
status in the afterlife as he had enjoyed during his earthly lifetime.

2. SYMBOL OF VICTORY

The army was also built to remember the army he led to victory over
the other Warring States and to serves as a reminder of how he united
China.

3. HUMAN SACRIFICE SUBSTITUTES

Early rulers from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties had soldiers, officials,
concubines and other attendants buried along with the dead leaders
(king/emperor). Either Qin Shi Huang himself or his advisors decided
to produce terracotta figures to replace actual human sacrifices.

REFERENCES
Lubow, Arthur. "Terra Cotta Soldiers On The March". Smithsonian. N.p., 2009. Web.
24 Oct. 2016.
Roach, John. "Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army - National Geographic". National
Geographic. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Tang, Cindy. "The Terracotta Army/Warriors In Xian, Secret Of Why And How They
Were Made". ChinaHighlights. N.p., 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
"Terracotta Army, Terra Cotta Warriors And Horses, Xian". Travelchinaguide.com.
N.p., 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

LINKS
http://www.chinahighlights.com/xian/terracotta-army/
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/emperor-qin/
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/terra-cotta-soldiers-on-the-march30942673/?no-ist