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Field Trip to the Qin Dynasty

Directions: Look at the following artifacts from the Qin Dynasty and answer the questions that follow.

The Great Wall of China (The Long Wall of Ten Thousand Li)

The Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is over 12,000 miles long. It begins in the east in Hebei province, and ends in Gansu province to the west. Construction on the massive fortification began in 220 BCE under the direction of Qin Shi Huangdi. The earliest portions of the wall were created by joining previously built fortifications together to create a united defense against the nomadic invading tribes from the north (The Huns were one of these groups). Construction on the wall continued until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when it was finally completed. Those who worked on the wall were forced to do so. When workers were killed, they were simply buried in the wall they had lost their lives to construct.

Questions:

1) What does the Great Wall of China tell you about the culture of the Qin Dynasty?

2) What does the Great Wall of China tell you about the technology of the Qin Dynasty?

3) What does the Great Wall of China tell you about the power of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi?

The Terracotta Army

When Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi died, he was buried in the traditional burial mound. However, he was not buried alone. In 1974, near the burial tomb, three farmers drilling holes looking for water stumbled upon the find of a life time. They discovered terracotta pottery shards. Chinese archeologists soon discovered that these shards came from an entire army of terracotta warriors. After excavation, four different pits were discovered, three of which held over 7,000, life size, warriors, horses, and chariots. The archeological site is over 175,000 square feet, and a popular destination for tourists. Each soldier was created by hand. They all have different faces, possibly created after real soldiers. The top half of the soldiers are hollow, however they sit on a solid terracotta legs. The soldiers may have been built and buried to protect the emperor into the afterlife.

Each pit contains different types of statues. Pit No. 1 is the largest. It contains soldiers, chariots, and war horses. Pit No 2 contains over a thousand warriors and 90 chariots. Pit No 3 contains 68 warriors and a war chariot with four horses. This pit appears to be the command center of the forces. Pit No 4 stands empty; archaeologists believe that it was left incomplete after continuous warfare interrupted the construction.

Questions:

1) What do the terrocata warriors tell you about the culture of the Qin Dynasty?

2) What do the terrocata warriors tell you about the power of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi?

3) What do the terrocata warriors tell you about the technology of the Qin Empire?

Weights and Measures

After unifying China under one Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi needed to create unified systems in order to operate the empire smoothly. He unified the weight and amount of coins. During the Qin Dynasty, the banliang became the official monetary system of the empire. The coins were made out of bronze and weight half an ounce, which is what the word banliang means. Some people argue that the form of the banliang coin is symbolic. People in ancient China believed that the earth was square and heaven was round. So, in issuing these coins, Qin Shi Huangdi was placing himself as a direct link between heaven and earth. Others argue that the shape of the banliang is strictly functional in terms of production technique. Banliang coins were cast in molds, and needed to be filed down after casting. With their square hole, a whole stack of these coins could be slid onto a square-shaped rod, and all filed down at the same time.

Besides coins, the Qin dynasty also standardized the way measurements for weight and length were taken. This enabled builders to share ideas and work together to create the architectural innovations that made the short lived empire famous.

Questions:

1) What does the banliang tell you about the culture of the Qin Dynasty?

2) What does the banliang tell you about the technology of the Qin Dynasty?

3) What does the banliang tell you about the strength of the Qin Dynasty?