An Ancient Chinese Sex Scandal: Qin, the First Emperor

Around 240 B.C., a sex scandal rocks Ancient China...

Half buried..the farmer who found the statues thought they were ghosts.

In 1974 a farmer in Western China uncovered what he felt to be a ghost: a clay figure of an Qin Warrior. Luckily, Archaeologists stepped in and with careful, precise work, unveiled an entire city beneath the earth. It was like no other discovery in the annals of science: rows and rows of terra cotta soldiers, rivers of mercury, bronze horsemen, cranes, and a dome that glittered with artifical stars. Objects inscribed with the name of China's Prime Minister at that time revealed it to belong to the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

Qin's rise to the status of First Emperor took place on the heels of a shocking sex scandal. Qin's Mother had been having sexual relations with Lao Ai, a well-endowed man who was believed to have been a eunich. Not only was he not a eunich, but his sexual prowess with the Queen Mother was so appreciated, she fell in love and conspired against her own son. They secretly had two children together, and the ambitious Lao Ai sought to dislodge the young Qin and place his own son on the throne of China. To make matters worse, Qin's trusted Prime Minister joined the sorrid plot and sided with Lao Ai.

DIsgusted and outraged, Qin prevailed with the help of his palace guard and army, killing the traitors (including the children) and banishing his mother from court. He would never trust women due to this terrible betrayal, and would never marry and take a Queen. Many lovely concubines would share his bed and bear him children--none would be granted any special legal status.

Qin sought to unify China, and with the help of advanced weaponry (The Cross-Bow, for one) and good generals, pushed his kingdom into war after war. A military genius, his ruthless methods worked quite smoothly: if you lost a battle, you were punished. If you brought back the head of your enemy, you were promoted and rewarded. Qin Warriors (as depicted in the Terra Cotta Statues) were famous for bravery. One after one the neighboring kingdoms fell, costing as many as 1.2 million lives. In roughly ten years Emperor Qin, who declared himself to be a God, had subdued and tamed China, standardizing weight, measures, and written language.

Qin was feared for his cruelty. Minor infractions were met with terrible mutiliations. Spies and traitors were torn apart by horses. Any offense was met with efficient torture or brandings. He showed no mercy and trusted few. As he aged his paranoid mind imagined conspiracies everywhere--no one was safe. Random attacks on China's borders demanded that a great wall be built. Qin transcripted men of all ages into what would amount to grueling slavery, killing many in the process. To be sent to build the Great Wall became tantamount to a death sentence in a gulag or concentration camp. Hated and feared, the Emperor began to fear that spirits and ghosts in the afterworld were stalking him. Even as his great Tomb and Underworld was being constructed, Qin demanded potions of youth to keep him from dying. Documents refer to the First Emperor, the "Tiger of Qin," as ingesting toxic mercury in hopes of immortality.

One of the most fascinating stories from this period has to do with a Ghost. According to legend, the Ghost of a Qin Warrior appeared after midnight to some guards, announcing that Qin had displeased the ancestors with his brutality, and would soon die. This occurred after Qin had burned ancient books in China, and forbade citizens to own books. He had also buried 460 scholars alive as a demonstration of his contempt for learning. A dynamic ruler, Qin had no patience with Ancient Chinese Wisdom and parables. Besides, reading encouraged free thinking and Qin was hopelessly paranoid by this time. By all accounts, by 211 B.C. Qin was mentally ill and waning, moving from palace to palace in fear of conspiracy and murder.
When he passed on (due in part, no doubt to mercury poisoning), his circle at court feared a rebellion and covered his coach with rotting fish, to disguise the odor of death as they passed through the countryside. The tomb at Mount Lee was ready, and Qin took his place as he put it, "Master of the Underworld, neocropolis of the dead.." His staff and all concubines who had not borne children were buried alive with him in his underworld. (a not uncommon practice in ancient China).

Today over two million visitors a year come to view the Terra Cotta Soldiers and the monument to the First Emperor. The statues are being restored by local artists to reflect the glory that was once ancient China, in brilliant hues. No one has opened the actual tomb of Emperor Qin, nor is it likely they ever will.