Scientists will use remote sensing and geophysical techniques to
survey the mysterious
Mausoleum of
the First Qin Emperor (259-210 BC), a famous World Heritage
Site.
Located 36 kilometres east of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's
Shaanxi Province, the grand mausoleum was the eternal resting place
for Ying Zheng, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC),
who unified China for the first time.
According to historical records, it took 700,000 people 36 years to
build the luxurious underground tomb, where mercury was used to
imitate rivers and lakes, numerous treasures and women were buried
with the dead emperor.
However, the actual structure and position of the mausoleum are
still a mystery despite several surveys having been conducted since
the 1970s.
Now, scientists and archaeologists are carrying out a large-scale
investigation of the tomb to get a general picture of it, said Guan
Haiyan, director of the Shaanxi Remote Sensing Centre.
"We will use aerial remote sensing and geophysical techniques to
identify the position, depth and basic structure of the underground
palace, as well as the 60-square-kilometre area surrounding the
tomb," said Guan, who is also the project's senior engineer.
The survey, listed as a key project of the National High Technology
Research and Development Programme, is by far the most
comprehensive research ever on the mausoleum. Work is due to be
finished by September next year.
"At that time, people can tell whether or not there were mercurial
rivers and lakes underground and whether the historical records
told the truth," said Guan.
So
far, only three vaults containing thousands of terracotta figures
(known as bing ma yong) have been found 1.5 kilometers east of the
mausoleum, and two sets of large bronze chariots and horses were
excavated west of the mausoleum.
Discovery of the buried legion has aroused great interest all over
the world, making it "the eighth wonder of the world." However,
this is just the tip of the iceberg.
As
opposed to the Egyptian pyramids, which were constructed above
ground level, the mausoleum is a huge underground complex designed
to mirror the street plan of the Qin Dynasty's capital. It is the
first and the largest imperial mausoleum in China.
Tens of thousands of statues and treasures undoubtedly still remain
to be unearthed from the site, and they will be extremely valuable
to study the Qin Dynasty's society, archaeologists say.
In
December 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization listed the mausoleum as a World Heritage
Site, together with the Great Wall and the Imperial Palace of the
Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).
(China Daily December 13, 2002)