Asian history - Research Paper Example

On the other hand, proponents of excavation argue that by unearthing the mausoleum, archaeologists and historians would access what is inside and piece up the findings to help with finding answers to questions related with the ruler’s empire (Ferroa, and Chan 18). The proponents add that the site will be an important tourist attraction whose opening will create jobs and income for the local population. This paper explores the benefits and shortfalls of opening the Qin Shi Huang’s tomb. Cultural and historical richness of the tomb The cultural and historical richness of the mausoleum is well captured in the history of the emperor.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang was eldest son of the Qin emperor, whose family comprises one of the half-dozen autonomous empires in the contemporary China. He is believed to have died around 210 BC (Liao, Pan, and Ma 395-399). These empires had been at crossroads for over two centuries, but Qin Shi Huang’s vanquished them all, before declaring himself the king. After his death, his body was interred in a large site located to the east of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province of China. His large army of terracotta soldiers was also buried alongside him to give him protection in death.

His lavish burial place is now at the center of an excavation debate. Although archaeological activities have been done on most parts of the mausoleum, the most important parts remain uncovered. The archaeologists have yet to dig the grounds near and including the tomb where the emperor was buried. According to Smith (87) part of the area that has not yet been touched is a raised ground where it is believed emperor Huang’s remains were interred. There is a hot debate as to whether it is appropriate to proceed with the excavation exercise or not.

The Debate Inadequate technology, and respect for the cultural values of the local community are perhaps the greatest points behind the stoppage of the archaeological activities in the mausoleum. Some of the archaeologists have suggested that the postponement move is partly influenced by the honor for the local elders, and the lack of adequate technology that can be used to excavate the site and still preserve the important values there. According to Portal (53), the resolution by Chinese officials not to tolerate further activities is a positive one at least based on the outcomes of similar activities in the past.

China’s authorities do not seem to be ready to engage in the same poor archaeological activities that might result in the loss of the culturally invaluable items at the site. In Egypt, for instance, early twentieth century archaeologists with poor technology engaged in an excavation exercise to retrieve the rich cultural artifacts in King Tut's tomb. The 1930’s exercise ended in lost valuable information. In light of this, archaeologists believe that there is a lot that could be lost if current techniques were deployed in the tomb.

Ferroa and Chan (19) point out proponents of the halting of excavation activities are clear in their mind; they want a delay of the process until better technology is available to support a better process. A postponement of the process by three to five decades would be a sound conservation strategy, they suggest. In light of this,