THE FIRST EMPEROR: THE MAN WHO MADE CHINA Reveals One of History's Most Powerful Rule

[onesp1ng]

First Western Access to the Exploration of Emperor's Tomb Proves Legendary Tales True

"Huang Di, is compared to Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar for commanding millions, uniting China and building the Great Wall. Though revered in the East, most westerners have had little knowledge of the great warrior, until now. The Discovery Channel transports viewers to ancient China, bringing the Emperor's story to life on Chinese New Year 2006, Sunday, January 29, 9-11 PM ET/PT."

[onesp1ng]

"THE FIRST EMPEROR: THE MAN WHO MADE CHINA marks unprecedented access for a western film crew to Emperor Chin's legendary seven square mile underground burial complex. Filled with more than 8,000 figures, including the terracotta army of soldiers, the Emperor designed it to celebrate his political and military power, and to achieve continued glory in the afterlife. Two thousand years after his death, ground-penetrating radar combined with CGI illustrate the shape, layout and design of the largest unopened tomb in the world, revealed on-screen for the first time. The special also proves true the legend that Emperor Chin was buried amid a map of his empire flowing with rivers of liquid mercury, which at the time was believed to prolong life.

Emperor Chin's achievements are astounding -- he was the first to unite China, abolished its feudalist past, gave the country its name, and commanded ten times as many subjects as the Pharaohs of Egypt. He created a single written language, was architect of the Great Wall, commanded the creation of the first road system, and planned and built the world's biggest and most extravagant resting place.

THE FIRST EMPEROR: THE MAN WHO MADE CHINA reveals that the warrior king was also a brutal tyrant who achieved his overwhelming power by destroying all opposition, both on the battlefield and in his own palace, where he survived repeated assassination attempts. As he became more and more powerful, Chin was said to have consumed mercury in increasingly-large doses, hoping to extend his life."

[LeiYunFat]

As he became more and more powerful, Chin was said to have consumed mercury in increasingly-large doses, hoping to extend his life."

Newb. Owned.

[doc]

Newb Owned??

Not sure I follow you LYF, but, mercury ingestion was a fairly common thing back in those days, and even later on. The ancient Chinese, Hindu's and Greeks used it for medicinal purposes, and some civilizations played with it thinking that it could be converted to gold. In fact, US physicians had been prescribing it in the 19th and 20th centuries to treat syphillis. The neurological effects are quite damaging, eventually becoming severe and irreversible.

It was at one time called the "Hatter's disease", or the "Mad Hatter's disease", as, in 19th century England, people who made hats used mercury in the processing of the felt and other materials, which eventually led to their developing neurological disease, via the mechanisms of inhalation and absorption. The environmental exposure aspects of it became known in the 1950's, when Japanese in Minimata started to become ill with vague and unexpected neurological illnesses, all eventually traced to some chemical plant which was dumping mercury into the nearby waters. Mercury eventuallly converts to methylmecury in the enviroment, which then gets picked up by plankton, shellfish, and eventually larger fish and humans. It wreaks havoc on not only the neurological system, but, the gastrointestinal system, the lungs, the kidneys, etc, all organs that get exposed to either the liquid or gaseous form of the chemical.

It's a real issue, one which was actually very common back in ancient times. Whether Qin had it, who knows, but when I went to Xian to visit the Terracotta warriors, this legend was not being hidden.

[LeiYunFat]

Yes, which makes them newbs! And they got owned...

Man I am just starting this Organic Chem shit...looks like I am in for a beating.

[doc]

Yes, you are.

Read up on mercury and report back to us. It is a very interesting chemical, not only in the way that it brings about destruction in the human body, but in its properties and uses. I think that you'll find it educational, to say the least.

That is, when you're not hanging out on the 101 freeway....

[LeiYunFat]

I know some history of mercury, but not the specifics of the effects it has on people...

But what I do know is this:

"We will be working mainly with carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen..."

"Not so much with the heavier and more complex elements like mercury."

[doc]

No excuse. You're in organic chemistry now, bring it on. It's an interesting substance.

[onesp1ng]

"But could the substance have had the opposite effect and driven him mad, or worse, killed him? While Emperor Chin's powerful empire outlasted Rome by a thousand years, could his obsession with immortality have ultimately proven his downfall? The production team along with Dr. Jeffrey Riegel, Professor of Chinese at the University of California, Berkeley, investigates how the tomb itself can reveal the facts behind the legend.

Filmed in high definition, the special transports viewers to ancient China by filming at historic locales in China such as the Emperor's burial complex, shooting scenes at Chinese film studios with full-size replica sets of imperial palaces, using CGI to recreate battle scenes with one million soldiers, and recreating the construction of the Great Wall of China, portraying the original pounded earth techniques."

[doc]

Mercury inhalation or ingestion will drive you "mad" (remember, the definition of "mad" was probably different in ancient times, than it is now), and it can most definitely lead to your demise.

[zachsan]

I caught a little of this the other night, just from flipping through the channels, and the bit about the map of his empire in his tomb was pretty interesting. Unfortunately, like so many documentaries these days, it was loaded up with cheesy "reinactments"; in this case, featuring chinese-looking guys speaking in English about the fate of their empire. So I didn't stay with it for long.

[doc]

It was ok. Too many reenactment nonsense, not enough good science or history. These documentaries seem to be going more for flash than substance.

I went out to that Xian Terra Cotta warriors place, many years ago. It was fascinating. For about a half hour. The large wall that surrounds the inner part of Xian was far more impressive. I think, the only city in China that still has a wall partly around it.

[onesp1ng]

Agreed, agreed.... I don't know why, but when chinese actors speak perfect english in programs regarding, well, just about anything...my attention goes pretty quick. The program about beijing's new developments, however, was great. There was also something on about the building of a new dam on the yangze river and the consequences/rewards associated with it. In my eyes these two shows were much better, and somehow more educational.