Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang
Location: Xi'an
The mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang (the first Emperor of Qin) is five kilometers east of Lintong County, 35 kilometers from Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province. On its south is Lishan Mountain and to the north is Weihe River. It is the biggest imperial mausoleum in ancient China. In 196I, the State Council decided the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang would be a key cultural relic under state protection.
Emperor Qinshihuang was named Ying Zheng and was a great politician and militarist of China's ancient feudal society. He made many political decisions that had enhanced the State of Qin and built its military might. He used his strong military force to annex other six states in the east and founded the first united and centralized state in Chinese history. After unification he adopted many measures to develop politics and the economy and consolidate centralization. Because of his tyranny and excessive tax collections the Qin Dynasty ended soon after his death.
As the first huge ancient mausoleum in China, with a river in front and a mountain towering behind, Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum displays the skill and craftsman-ship of the country's tomb construction and has spawn many anecdotes which have endured through the ages.
According to historical records, Emperor Qinshihuang spared neither labor nor money to construct his huge Epang Palace. Because he wanted a long life in this ornate palace, he sent the necromancer Xu Fu to lead several thousand boys and girls to look for elixir vitae in the sea. A couple of years later they returned empty-handed and lied to the emperor: "There is a huge fish in the sea so our ships can't reach Penglai Hill."
Then Emperor Qinshihuang himself, carrying many bows and arrows, went to shoot the huge fish in the sea. It is said he actually killed a huge fish in the sea northeast of Fushan County in Shandong Province. After that Xu Fu and the children went to the sea and never came back. According to popular legends they settled in Japan.
Still, Emperor Qinshihuang attached much importance to construction of his mausoleum while searching for elixir vitae.
According to the Records of the Historian: Emperor Qinshihuang succeeded to the throne of Qin at the age of 13 (246 BC). Soon after his enthronement he started building the mausoleum north of Lishan Mountain.
After he united the country he requisitioned more than 700,000 laborers from all over China to help in the construction. Despite the efforts, the mausoleum was not yet complete when the Emperor died 37 years later at the age of 50 (210 BC). The project lasted another two years after the Second Emperor of Qin ascended the throne. When adding the first phase of construction, nearly 40 years were used in building the mausoleum.