A Tale of Two Dynasties on the Wei River Plain The fertile lands flanking the Wei River in Shaanxi province […]
Imperial Floor Tiles with a Message Among the most intriguing artifacts prized by collectors of Chinese antiquities are large floor […]
From Functional Building Blocks to Artistic Masterpieces The molded decorative bricks of China’s Qin (221-206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE-220 […]
The Forgotten Treasures Beneath the Soil Across the Xianyang Plateau, where the Qin Dynasty once flourished, farmers till soil littered […]
The Spy Who Built an Empire: The Origins of the Zheng Guo Canal In 246 BCE, as the young King […]
The Humble Foundations of an Empire The architectural heart of Qin dynasty’s capital, Xianyang, was built on vast stretches of […]
The Rise of Qin and Its Imperial Ambitions The Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE) marked China’s first imperial unification under Emperor […]
Unearthing the Foundations of History For archaeologists, few discoveries quicken the pulse like encountering rammed earth (夯土) – the compacted […]
The Puzzle of Xianyang: A Capital Without Walls Unlike traditional Chinese cities defined by orderly walls and gates, Xianyang—the capital […]
The Rise of Xianyang: Capital of a Ruthless Empire Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE), stood as […]
The City of Xianyang: A Tapestry of Power and Labor While the First Emperor’s terracotta warriors and grand palaces dominate […]
Unearthing a Bronze Artifact with a Story In the quiet excavation of a Qin-era tomb, archaeologists uncovered a bronze jian […]
The Relentless Rhythm of Chinese Archaeology The winter of 2017 found a weary archaeological team in Xianyang, Shaanxi province, fresh […]
The Historical Backdrop of Xianyang’s Royal Necropolis Xianyang, the ancient capital of the Qin state and later the Qin Dynasty […]
The Rise of Xianyang: Capital of a Unifying Empire The ancient city of Xianyang emerged as the political heart of […]
The Spine of an Empire: Qin’s Architectural Theology Ancient Chinese cosmology viewed symmetry and centrality as sacred principles—both in the […]
The Grand Vision of China’s First Emperor In the twilight years of China’s Warring States period, a remarkable transformation occurred […]
When Earth Mimicked the Sky: The Origins of “Fa Tian” Urban Planning The concept of designing cities to reflect celestial […]
From Frontier Outpost to Imperial Heart In 350 BCE, Duke Xiao of Qin made a decision that would reshape Chinese […]
The Underground Empire of Qin Shi Huang Buried beneath a 76-meter-tall earthen pyramid in Lintong District, Xi’an, lies one of […]
Unearthing an Ancient Avian Paradise In 2001-2003, archaeologists made a stunning discovery outside the perimeter wall of Emperor Qin Shi […]
Unearthing a Regal Relic In the second tier of the mausoleum complex, archaeologists made a stunning discovery west of the […]
