As I have been traveling, the most consistent theme I have seen among all cultures is that the leaders (kings, emperors, etc.) love to create grand structures for their legacies. Castles, pyramids, cathedrals, temples, mausoleums all seem to be commissioned by leaders on scales that are much more for acknowledging their power than for practical need. What I find ironic is that most of these were not completed within the lifetime of the requestor; and many were purely to commemorate their death. In Xi’An there is another great example of this in the Terra Cotta Warriors. It was/is an entire field of life-size pottery statues of ancient warriors, horses, weapons and equipment that would make up an army. They are situated around the burial place of the First Emporer of Qin to represent that he was so important he needed an army to protect him, even after death.
While I think the ego involved in why the site was created is rather funny, I do have to say it is one of the most enjoyable historic ruin sites I have visited. I commend how they have opened the excavation of the site to tourists, while not compromising the authenticity of the site itself. It was quite marvelous to see statues in their original environment. And observing the stages of the continued archeological excavation was very interesting.
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