Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi Qin Shihuangdi Ling

The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi (reigned 221-210 BC) lies 30km/18.5mi northeast of Xi'an, near the town of Lintong, under a 46m/150ft high hill. The emperor was only 13 years old in the year 246 when he gave instructions for this edifice to be constructed. The work involved a labor force of 700,000 men.

The grave was robbed by the paupers who defeated the Qing dynasty, and as China's archaeologists are fully occupied with the excavation of some extremely rich accidental finds such as the Terracotta Army, the tomb is unlikely to be opened to the public in the near future.

Thanks to a report written by the historian Sima Qian in the year 100 BC we are, however, fairly well informed about the layout of the tomb. He says, ''The tomb was filled with reproductions of palaces, pavilions and administrative buildings as well as beautiful vessels, precious stones and other rare items. Craftsmen were ordered to install a refined system of loaded crossbows that would kill anybody who approaches the grave in an attempt to rob it. The rivers of the empire, the Yellow River and the Yangtse, were reproduced in quicksilver and moved by a mechanical system which made them run into a miniature ocean. The ceiling was painted with the constellations and the regions of the country were painted at the bottom. The oil lamps were lit with whale-oil so that they would burn for as long as possible."