BEIJING: New archaeological research has shed fresh light on China’s first emperor, the creator of the world-famous terracotta army, and his quest for eternal life. A set of wooden slips found in the central province of Hunan contain an executive order from Emperor Qin Shi Huang for a nationwide search for the elixir of life, along with replies from local governments. It cited Zhang Chunlong, a researcher at the provincial institute of archaeology, as saying the emperor’s decree reached even frontier regions and remote villages. Qin Shi Huang’s obsession with eternal life was well-known: he was responsible for the massive underground mausoleum in the northern province of Shaanxi filled with nearly 8,000 terracotta soldiers built to protect him in the afterlife. Another place, “Langya,” suggested that “an herb collected from an auspicious local mountain” might do the job.

Source: Pakistan Today December 26, 2017 11:03 UTC