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"Hey, Grandpa. What are these toy soldiers?"
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Laurie was looking through an archaeology book in Grandpa's study.
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"Those aren't toys, Laurie," Grandpa said, looking at the picture.
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"Those are life-size clay soldiers!
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And they're on duty for eternity, guarding the tomb of the first emperor of one of the oldest civilizations in the world—China!
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Take a look at the next photo."
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Laurie turned the page and saw an archaeologist carefully dusting the top of one clay soldier's head.
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The archaeologist and the statue were nearly the same size!
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"They are big!" she exclaimed. "And there are so many of them!
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Who was this emperor? He must have been really important to have all these soldiers made just for him."
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"Well, as emperor, you can pretty much get whatever you want.
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But, yes, he was important. Known as Qin Shihuangdi, he was the first emperor of China and the emperor of the Qin dynasty,
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which lasted from 221 BC to 207 BC.
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In fact, the romanized name ‘China’ is believed to come from the Qin dynasty.
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Chinese civilization had been around since about 1600 BC, but Shihuangdi was the first ruler to unite the land into an empire ruled by one government.
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He was a cruel leader, but he did a lot for China.
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He ordered that the same measuring, writing, and money systems be used throughout the empire, which helped trade.
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He also organized the building of many roads, canals, and the longest structure ever built—the Great Wall of China."
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"How was he cruel?" Laurie asked.
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"Building these enormous projects, especially the Great Wall, required a lot of hard work.
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Shihuangdi forced his people to work for him.
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They often worked long hours on difficult jobs.
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Many actually died during the building of the Great Wall.
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He also believed that in order to rule a large empire, a ruler must make strict laws.
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One law punished scholars who thought or wrote about things the emperor believed were harmful or not useful to his empire.
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These included literature, philosophy, and of course criticism of his rule.
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He also famously burned all history books because he thought they might make people question his authority. Can you believe it?"
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"Wow. Without history books how would we learn about the past?" Laurie asked.
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"Well, written history helps, but there are other ways of discovering the past.
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Archaeology, for example! Luckily for Chinese historians, Shihuangdi's style of rule didn't last long.
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Soon after his death in 210 BC, his empire collapsed and the Han dynasty began.
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Han rulers looked to China's past for ideas about the future.
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They returned to the ideas of Confucius.
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He was an ancient scholar who believed that rulers should lead by good example only—
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not by forcing people to obey strict laws—and that people should respect their elders.
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His philosophy later spread throughout Asia, and his influence on Asian culture and society can still be seen today.
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Unlike the first emperor, Han rulers prized scholars.
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In fact, during the Han dynasty, a system was created to make sure that only the best scholars would receive government jobs.
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Anyone who wanted to work for the government had to take an extremely difficult test.
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China had the first government full of scholars!
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And nearly two thousand years later, this practice of making government employees pass tests was adopted by American and European governments too.
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The Han rulers continued to worry about foreign invaders, however,
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so they kept building Shihuangdi's Great Wall and created more roads for soldiers to travel on.
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With improved roads, trade continued to grow.
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The famous Silk Road, one of the greatest international trading routes in history, developed during the Han dynasty.
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Goods such as silk, tea, pottery, and spices traveled out of China to India, the Middle East, Russia, and Europe along that route.
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The exchange of ideas and culture between the East and the West also began along the Silk Road."
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"Was the road made out of silk?" Laurie asked.
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Grandpa chuckled. "No, but a lot of silk traveled along it.
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Silk, you see, was invented by the Chinese.
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Evidence shows they were making it as early as 1300 BC, but no one outside of China knew about it until centuries later.
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Once people of other countries touched the beautiful fabric, they loved it and wanted it for themselves.
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But the Chinese were determined to keep their silk-making process a secret.
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If foreigners wanted silk, they'd have to pay or trade.
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So silk was carried out of China along the Silk Road.
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Actually many things that were invented in ancient China would later travel to the West.
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There's paper, for one. And the wheelbarrow, the compass, and the first machine to detect earthquakes!
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The Han dynasty valued knowledge and learning, and they encouraged scientists to study and develop new things.
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They also valued the arts. The Han dynasty is known for its beautiful and unique pottery, poetry, and sculpture.
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Chinese civilization really flourished during this period.
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The dynasty lasted longer than any other—about four hundred years—
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and the Chinese consider it so important that even today they call themselves people of the Han."
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"Laurie?" Mom suddenly called. "Have you seen my red silk blouse?
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I want to wear it when I go out tonight."
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"You mean your Chinese red silk blouse?" Laurie shouted back.
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"No, I don't have a Chinese blouse, Laurie."
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Now Mom's voice was coming from outside the door.
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"What are you guys talking about in there anyway?"
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"Oh, all kinds of things! Silk, clay soldiers, a great wall!" Laurie answered.
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She turned to Grandpa and handed him back his book.
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"I'd better go help Mom find her blouse. Thanks again, Grandpa.
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See you in another place at another time!"