The First Emperor The Man Who Made China

The First Emperor - The Man Who Made China This is a straightforward, no-nonsense dramatised documentary of the life of the extraordinary Emperor Q'in, the man who united China over 2,200 years ago - the man for whom the terracotta warriors were made and who ordered the linking and completion of the defensive walls which came to make up the Great Wall of China. It is very well done indeed and tells its story in an interesting and involving manner throughout. We see some of the excavations on the site around the Emperor's tomb, which itself has never been excavated and the story of his life is told by distinguished academics from American universities and the University of Cambridge. Several episodes - battles, an assassination attempt, the death of the sinister Marquis and his two children by the Queen Mother, the final disintegration of the Emperor's physique and personality - are tellingly dramatised, but this is in no way a sensational film ; we see also earnest (but not dull! - actually very interesting) discussion about the meaning of some of the artefacts at the pits around the tomb, glimpses of the modern China, the text from which what is known about the Emperor's reign mainly comes, and so on. In particular the informed speculation about what is actually in the tomb is very well brought to life. It is both informative and dramatic, and both aspects contribute to the narrative. I'd seen it on TV, but couldn't remember the result of the mercury soundings.

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