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What happens after death? Is there a restful paradise?
死后会发生什么？真的有宁静的天堂吗？
An eternal torment? A rebirth? Or maybe just nothingness?
还是永恒的煎熬？还是重生？还是化为虚无？
Well, one Chinese emperor thought that whatever the hereafter was, he better bring an army.
不过，有个中国皇帝觉得无论死亡之后的世界是如何，他最好还是带着一支军队。
We know that because in 1974, farmers digging a well near their small village
我们会这么说，是因为在1974年几位农夫在村子附近掘井的时候，
stumbled upon one of the most important finds in archeological history:
偶然揭开了考古历史上最重要的发现之一：
vast underground chambers surrounding that emperor's tomb,
巨大的地下墓穴与皇帝的陵寝，
and containing more than 8,000 life-size clay soldiers ready for battle.
其中有着超过8000名真人尺寸且全副武装的陶俑。
The story of the subterranean army begins with Ying Zheng,
这些地下士兵的故事是从嬴政开始的，
who came to power as the king of the Qin state at the age of 13 in 246 BCE.
他13岁就成为了秦国的国王，那是公元前246年。
Ambitious and ruthless, he would go on to become Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China after uniting its seven warring kingdoms.
他野心勃勃而冷酷无情，在统一了七个交战不断的国家后，他成为了中国第一个皇帝，秦始皇。
His 36 year reign saw many historic accomplishments,
他36年的统治间实现了许多历史成就，
including a universal system of weights and measures, a single standardized writing script for all of China,
包括统一了度量衡，在中国全境推行统一文字，
and a defensive barrier that would later come to be known as the Great Wall.
建立了防守城墙，也就是后来的长城。
But perhaps Qin Shi Huangdi dedicated so much effort to securing his historical legacy because he was obsessed with his mortality.
不过秦始皇会如此努力维护他所留下的历史遗产，是由于他被死亡这件事所困扰。
He spent his last years desperately employing alchemists and deploying expeditions
他在位的最后几年，不断派遣术士还有探险队伍
in search of elixirs of life that would help him achieve immortality.
去寻找让他长生不老的药。
And as early as the first year of his reign,
另外，在他即位的第一年，
he began the construction of a massive underground necropolis filled with monuments, artifacts,
他就开始建造巨大的地下陵墓，其中存放着许多陪葬品与文物，
and an army to accompany him into the next world and continue his rule.
同时还有一支可以跟随他到另外一个世界的军队，继续他的统治。
This magnificent army is still standing in precise battle formation and is split across several pits.
这支雄伟的军队至今仍然以精确的战斗编队站立着，同时还被分配到不同的坑里。
One contains a main force of 6,000 soldiers, each weighing several hundred pounds,
第一个坑中有6000名主力士兵，每个重量都上百公斤，
a second has more than 130 war chariots and over 600 horses, and a third houses the high command.
第二个坑当中有超过130辆战车与600匹马，在第三个坑里有军队的统帅。
An empty fourth pit suggests that the grand project could not be finished before the emperor's death.
第四个坑是空的，这可能是因为在规划未完成之前秦始皇就已经过世了。
In addition, nearby chambers contain figures of musicians and acrobats,
除此之外，在附近的墓穴中还有音乐家、杂技演员、
workers and government officials, and various exotic animals,
工人与政府官员的人像，还有许多异国的动物，
indicating that Emperor Qin had more plans for the afterlife than simply waging war.
这表明秦始皇对于死后的计划并不仅止于发动战争。
All the figurines are sculpted from terracotta, or baked earth, a type of reddish brown clay.
所有的人像都是用陶土或是一种经过窑烤的红褐色黏土制造。
To construct them, multiple workshops and reportedly over 720,000 laborers were commandeered by the emperor,
为了制造这些陶俑，秦始皇动用许多工作坊以及据称超过72万名工人，
including groups of artisans who molded each body part separately
其中包含许多位能够分别铸造身体部件的艺术家，
to construct statues as individual as the real warriors in the emperor's army.
一起制造出如同秦始皇军队般真实的战士。
They stand according to rank and feature different weapons and uniforms,
它们依照阶级来站立，而且每个陶俑身上都有不同的武器、制服
distinct hairstyles and expressions, and even unique ears.
与独特的发型和面部表情，甚至还有独特样式的耳朵。
Originally, each warrior was painted in bright colors,
每个士兵原本都是绘成彩色的，
but their exposure to air caused the paint to dry and flake, leaving only the terracotta base.
但在接触空气后使漆变得干裂，而仅留下原本陶土的基底。
It is for this very reason that another chamber less than a mile away has not been excavated.
也因为这个原因，一英里之外的另一个墓穴尚未被挖掘。
This is the actual tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, reported to contain palaces, precious stones and artifacts,
这是秦始皇帝真正的陵寝，据传有皇宫、珍宝和名器，
and even rivers of mercury flowing through mountains of bronze.
甚至有水银流经铜山之间。
But until a way can be found to expose it without damaging the treasures inside, the tomb remains sealed.
但是在寻得不破坏这些珍宝的方法之前，该陵寝仍然封闭着。
Emperor Qin was not alone in wanting company for his final destination.
秦始皇不是唯一一位希望自己在临终时有伴的人。
Ancient Egyptian tombs contain clay models representing the ideal afterlife,
古代的埃及墓穴也有泥土模型来描绘理想的来世，
the dead of Japan's Kofun period were buried with sculptures of horses and houses,
在日本的古坟时代，人死后会和马与房舍的雕塑一起埋葬，
and the graves of the Jaina island off the Mexican coast are full of ceramic figurines.
墨西哥海岸附近的耆那岛洞穴中也有许许多多的陶俑。
Fortunately, as ruthless as he was, Emperor Qin chose to have servants and soldiers built for this purpose,
幸运的是，尽管秦始皇非常冷血，他却选择塑造仆人和士兵的陶俑来陪葬，
rather than sacrificing living ones to accompany him,
而不是牺牲活人来陪伴他，
as had been practiced in Egypt, West Africa, Anatolia, parts of North America
那些以真人殉葬的习俗在埃及、西非、安纳托利亚、北美的某些地区，
and even China during the previous Shang and Zhou dynasties.
甚至中国的商朝和周朝时期都广为存在。
And today, people travel from all over the world to see these stoic soldiers
今天，人们从世界各地来到中国看这些泰然自若的军人陶俑，
silently awaiting their battle orders for centuries to come.
他们已在这儿守望了几个世纪，等待下一次战争号角的响起。
