"The tomb of China's First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, is guarded by an army of more than 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors. Doubtless many untold treasures and secrets are sealed in the unopened burial chamber, and perhaps a deadly river of mercury, too. Young archaeologists will delight in learning about this famous ruler and his quest for eternal life. They'll find out how the latest technology is being used to reveal more about the tomb's contents while preserving its artifacts. Beautifully vivid photographs complement the intriguing text, while a timeline aids in summarizing key historical details."

The rise of Qin and the military conquest of the warring states -- The First Emperor and the Qin empire -- Imperial tours and mountain inscriptions -- The First Emperor's tomb: the afterlife universe -- A two-thousand-year-old underground empire.

Reprint. Originally published: 2007. Reissued 2009.

This biography of the ancient Chinese ruler delves into his life and times, chronicling his immortal achievements and reconsidering his legacy. Unifier or destroyer, lawmaker or tyrant? China’s First Emperor (258–210 BC) has been the subject of debate for over 2,000 years. He gave us the name by which China is known in the West and, by his unification or elimination of six states, he created imperial China. He stressed the rule of law but suppressed all opposition, burning books and burying scholars alive. His military achievements are reflected in the astonishing terracotta soldiers—an astonishing army of statues buried with the emperor. And his Great Wall still fascinates the world. Despite his achievements, however, the First Emperor has been vilified since his death. China’s First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors describes his life and times and reflects the historical arguments over the real founder of China and one of the most important men in Chinese history.

"Ying Zheng was born to rule the world, claiming descent from gods, crowned king while still a child. He was the product of a heartless, brutal regime devoted to domination, groomed from an early age to become the First emperor of China after a century of scheming by his ancestors. He faked a foreign threat to justify an invasion. He ruled a nation under 24-hour surveillance. He ordered his interrogators to torture suspects. He boiled his critics alive. He buried dissenting scholars. He declared war on death itself."--Back of book.

"With contributions from leading scholars, this fully illustrated catalogue represents a panoramic view of Qin artistic, military, and administrative achievements under the powerful First Emperor, who unified China in 221 BCE. In addition, it examines the period of Chinese history preceding the emperor's reign and the role of earlier Qin rulers in the evolution of a small state into a superpower."--Provided by publisher.

Ying Zheng, founder of the Qin empire, is recognized as a pivotal figure in world history, alongside other notable conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar. His accomplishments include conquest of the warring states of ancient China, creation of an imperial system that endured for two millennia, and unification of Chinese culture through the promotion of a single writing system. Only one biased historical account, written a century after his death in 210 BCE, narrates his biography. Recently, however, archaeologists have revealed the lavish pits associated with his tomb and documents that demonstrate how his dynasty functioned. Debates about the First Emperor have raged since shortly after his demise, making him an ideological slate upon which politicians, revolutionaries, poets, painters, archaeologists, and movie directors have written their own biases, fears, and fantasies. This book is neither a standard biography nor a dynastic history. Rather, it looks historically at interpretations of the First Emperor in history, literature, archaeology, and popular culture as a way to understand the interpreters as much as the subject of their interpretation.

Was The First Emperor of China a Unifier or destroyer, law-maker or tyrant?

The tomb of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, is guarded by an army of more than 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors. Doubtless many untold treasures and secrets are sealed in the unopened burial chamber—and perhaps a deadly river of mercury, too. Young archaeologists will delight in learning about this famous ruler and his quest for eternal life. They’ll find out how the latest technology is being used to reveal more about the tomb’s contents while preserving its artifacts. Beautifully vivid photographs complement the intriguing text, while a timeline aids in summarizing key historical details.