Qin Shi Huangdi, The Chinese Emperor Who Died Trying To Become Immortal
Public DomainQin Shi Huang in a 19th-century portrait.
Qin Shi Huangdi’s death in 210 B.C.E. came as a surprise — especially to him. As the story goes, the Chinese emperor died after seeking a draught that he hoped would make him live forever.
The founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor to rule over a unified China, Shi Huangdi was subject to numerous assassination attempts during his life. According to World History, he developed an obsession with death. Specifically, the emperor became obsessed with avoiding it at all costs.
Ancient Origins reported that the emperor constructed elevated walkways and private roads, covered his windows with curtains, and put anyone to death who dared share his location. He searched far and wide for some kind of elixir he could drink to make himself immortal, and, apparently, found one.
Forrest Anderson/Getty ImagesIn the off chance that he did die, Qin Shi Huang had his future tomb surrounded by more than 6,000 terra cotta soldiers and horses.
Though the exact details of Qin Shi Huangdi’s royal death have been obscured by time, most sources agree that the emperor was advised that consuming mercury could make him immortal. He took pills, or perhaps wine mixed with honey and mercury, and looked forward to living forever.
Instead, Qin Shi Huangdi died fairly quickly. Before long, the empire that he’d so carefully cultivated lurched into civil war and disintegrated.
But though Shi Huangdi never attained his dream of immortality, he nevertheless left an enduring mark on China. In China’s Shaanxi province, thousands of terra cotta soldiers and horses — once commissioned by the emperor to guard his tomb — have been found.
Though the emperor’s mausoleum itself hasn’t been opened, ancient texts suggest it was filled with model palaces, pavilions, and offices.
