The Mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor

Qin Shi Huang was the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (259 - 210 BC). He is famous for his mausoleum of terracotta figures begun when he was 13 years old and taking 700,000 labourers and 36 years to build.

       

 

 

 

 

 

Terra-cotta soldiers at the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Introduction         

The Qinshihuang Mausoleum and the Pits containing terracotta warriors and horses are located in Lintong County, near Xi'an City, capital of Shaanxi Province. Constructed from 246 BC to 208 BC, the mausoleum was the first of its kind in Chinese history. With a height of 76 m, the mausoleum is laid out in line with the dimensions of Xianyang, capital of the Qin Dynasty. It is composed of the inner compound and the outer compound, which have perimeters of 2.5 km and 6.3 km, respectively. The tomb is located in the southwest of the inner compound.

The pits containing the terracotta army guarding the mausoleum were discovered in 1974. Three pits have been excavated so far. Occupying an area of over 200,000 square meters, the three pits are arranged in a triangular shape, facing the east. A total of over 7,000 life-size terracotta warriors, chariots and horses, and hundreds of bronze weapons have been excavated from the pits. The terracotta warriors are about 1.8 m high and can be identified from their respective costume and position in line.

Two bronze carriages excavated from the west of mausoleum have four horses harnessed to each, and in each stand an official and a driver. They display an exquisite casting technique, and are regarded as bronze masterpieces and national treasures. The unearthed bronze weapons are still glitter and sharp.

History

The mausoleum was originally called Lishan Hill. It was recorded that the mausoleum, covered by trees and grass, was 120 meters high and with the perimeter of 2,167 meters, looking like a real hill. However, since it was made of soil instead of stones, its height has been reduced to only 64.97 meters due to years of erosion and man-made damage.

Cultural Heritage

The Qinshihuang Mausoleum is one of the world's largest imperial mausoleums. Although the actual tomb chamber has not been excavated yet, probes have determined that it is a luxurious underground palace with a unique structure and abundant funeral objects.

Many state leaders and experts worldwide believe that the discovery of the pits is a major archeological find and can be called the eighth wonder of the world, paralleling Egypt's pyramids. The excavated objects are precious materials for the study of military science, politics, economy, culture, science and arts of the Qin Dynasty, over 2,000 years ago.

The terracotta warriors and horses represent a peak in the world's history of the art of pottery, adding glamour to China's civilization and the world's esthetics.

Notes

Lintong County陜西省臨潼県 Xi'an City:西安 dynasty:王朝 excavate:〜を発掘する  exquisite:この上なく優れた masterpiece:傑作  imperial:皇帝の

文章提供 China Culture

http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_39339.htm

中国に関する問題  (三択問題)  

1, Chinese population is one ( ) of the world's total.

a, fourth b, fifth c, sixth b

2, The capital of China is ( ).

 a, Hong Kong b,Beijing c,Shanghai  →b

3, A total of ( ) islands dot China's territorial seas.

a,1,200 b,2,300 c,5,400 →c

4, There are ( ) ethnic groups in China.

a,34 b, 56 c, 63      →b

5, The Han people(漢民族) made up ( ) percent of the country's total population.

a,92 b, 87 c, 75 a

6, Chinese ( ) is one of the three greatest ( )s in the world.

a, food b, currency c, tea a

7, The ( )River is the cradle of Chinese Culture.

a,Yangtze (揚子江) b,Yellow(黄河) c, Mekong (メコン川) b

8, China joined UNESCO in ( ).

a,1971 b,1975 c,1980     →a

9, The Qinshihuang Mausoleum and the Pits(始皇帝陵) containing terracotta warriors and horses(兵馬俑)was discovered in ( ).

a, 1963 b, 1971 c, 1974 c

10, The ( )Emperor in China is Qinshihuang.

a, First b, Second c, Third a

本文に関する問題  (T or F

1, Mausoleum of First Emperor of Qin are located in Tibet. F  TibetChina 

2, The mausoleum was first of its kind in Chinese history. T

3, The tomb is located in the southeast of the inner compound. F southeastsouthwest

4, The pits were discovered in 1974. T

5, Terracotta warriors, chariots and horses, and hundreds of bronze weapons have been excavated from the pits. T

6, The unearthed bronze weapons are still glitter and blunt. F bluntsharp

7, The mausoleum looks like a real hill. T

8, The Qinshihuang Mausoleum is one of the world’s highest imperial mausoleums.

F highestlargest

9, The discovery of the pits can be called the seventh wonder of the world, paralleling Egypt's pyramids.

F seventh eighth

10, The excavated objects are precious materials for the study of military science, politics, economy, culture, science and arts of the Qin Dynasty, over 2000 years ago. T

和訳問題( itがあるときは、そこを明らかにして訳せ)

1.It is composed of the inner compound and the outer compound, which have perimeters of 2.5 km and 6.3 km, respectively.

(始皇帝陵は内側と外側の敷地で構成されていて、それぞれ周囲の長さが、2.5kmと6.3kmである。)

2.The terracotta warriors are about 1.8 m high and can be identified from their respective costume and position in line.

(テラコッタの軍人像は高さが約1.8mあり、それぞれの衣装や列の位置から身分がわかる。)

3.They display an exquisite casting technique, and are regarded as bronze masterpieces and national treasures.

(二つのブロンズの馬車は、この上なくすぐれた鋳造技術を表していて、それはブロンズの傑作、そして国の宝物としてみなされている。)

4.It was recorded that the mausoleum, covered by trees and grass, was 120 meters high and with the perimeter of 2,167 meters, looking like a real hill.

(始皇帝陵は木や草に覆われていて、高さ120m、周囲2167mで丘のように見えたということが記されていた。)

5.Many state leaders and experts worldwide believe that the discovery of the pits is a major archeological find and can be called the eighth wonder of the world, paralleling Egypt's pyramids.

(多くの国のリーダーや世界の専門家たちは、始皇帝陵の発見が重大な考古学的発見であり、エジプトのピラミッドに匹敵する世界の八不思議ということができるものだと信じている。)

リンク

始皇帝稜に関するサイト

・兵馬俑の発掘現場(立体写真)

 http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/cn/terracotta/army.html

Mere China

 http://www.merechina.com/travel/onedestinationfirstemperormausoleum.shtml

http://www.china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/74862.htm

中国旅行に役立つ情報Yahoo!トラベル

 http://abroad.travel.yahoo.co.jp/tif/country/CN/

 

中国の国旗

 

 

 

 

 

 

中国の地図