Architecture

Qin Shi Huang began building the first version of the Great Wall of China, connecting old walls built by earlier kings. Soldiers, farmers, and prisoners worked day and night, using mud, stone, and bricks. The wall stretched for thousands of miles across mountains and deserts — so long that people called it “the dragon that guards China.”

But life for the workers was very hard. If anyone rested or disobeyed, they were buried inside the wall itself. Many died from hunger, cold, and exhaustion. Because of this, people later called it “the world’s longest graveyard.”

When Qin Shi Huang died, he was buried with his Terracotta Army — over 8,000 life-size clay soldiers, horses, and chariots. Each warrior’s face is different, as if real people stood guard for him. The tomb was hidden for more than 2,000 years, until farmers found it by accident in 1974 near Xi’an.