Understanding China’s deep history and culture can really enhance your tour experience. I always go into cultural and historical detail in my pre-tour talks with clients and everyone loves it so much I thought I would devote a new category to it in my blog. I hope you enjoy!

One of the most important people in Chinese history is probably one of the least known in the Western world. Most people know that the Great Wall is one of the seven ancient wonders. But most people may not know that the one who conceived and created that wonder was also the first Emperor of China’s feudal society.

His name was Qin Shi-huang and he had a remarkable reign.

Qin Shi-huang was born in 259 B.C. and became King of the state of Qin at the age of 13. One by one, he conquered the six kingdoms and unified China into one country. In 221 B.C. he established the Qin Dynasty, the first centralized and unified regime in the Chinese history. He then proceeded to standardize the language, currency and measurement systems. His contributions to China would forever shape its destiny.

Despite his great contributions however, Qin Shi-huang was a also despot – conceited, cruel, unforgiving, and with a mercurial temperament. He ruthlessly executed anyone he thought who was against him. Even his grand projects, like his tomb: Terra Cotta Warrior Army and the Great Wall were built on the suffering of the people. His merits and demerits have brought him both praise and blame down through the ages. He has been honored as a remarkable emperor and denounced as a tyrant. In many ways though, he was a product of his times. Even though the Qin dynasty only lasted 15 years, he totally changed the history of China. Although there have been many dynasties in the 2,000 years after him, they all inherited and embraced the system he created.

One of Qin Shi-huang’s greatest legacies is the Great Wall, which runs through most of the northern China, from the Gobi Desert in the west, to the East China Sea. The wall was originally intended as protection against the northern frontier enemies. After thousands of years of decay, expansion and rebuilding the wall has become the symbol of the indomitable Chinese spirit. The most popular visited section of the Wall is about 500 years old and is in Beijing. The oldest part of the Wall is in the far west out in the middle of the desert and is over 2000 years old. Those ruins lay in sand, and other than a few inches showing above the sand, you can barely tell there used to be the grand history of the Wall!

Another of his monuments is his grand tomb, which took 37 years to build, and is protected by an Army of 8,000 life-sized Terra Cotta Warriors. Each warrior has his own unique features, pose, hair-style and facial expression. You will never find two warriors the same. All of them look so vivid and well prepared for battle. Still facing east against the six conquered kingdoms in their battle formation, eternally vigilant and awaiting the command of their emperor. Can you imagine, this miracle of archeology was found by a farmer when he was digging water well in 1974? That is why there is a saying in China: if you want to be millionaire over night, dig a hole in Xi’an. Because Xi’an was capital for over 13 dynasties, spanning more than 2,000 years, and there are 73 emperors buried there.

The most mysterious of Qin Shi-huang’s legacies is his tomb, which is still to be uncovered. According to the history books, his tomb is built under the water table, reinforced with bronze as waterproofing. And the size of his tomb is gigantic, and follows the layout of his capital Xianyang. It is a miniature of his world when he lived. There are gemstones as stars, in perfect celestial formation. Flowing rivers of mercury depict the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. There are even mountains and canyons, everything in their accurate geographic locations! Can you imagine the excitement when his tomb is finally opened to the world?

This small episode of China’s history is just a great example to dignify the unique style of Chinese culture. China has had some wonderful, dramatic dynasties and great emperors, like Qin shi-huang and his Qin Dynasty. Like Royal European countries, China had a nobility hierarchy, and a rigid etiquette to maintain and demonstrate this historical culture. The signs of this special synergy are everywhere, from the philosophy to the architecture, from the system of the whole society to people’s daily mannerism, and every corner of city is telling you the history!