Text | Editor: Chestnut
Foreword: Afang Palace, the Great Wall of Qin, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Qin Zhidao are known as the "Four Great Projects of the Qin Dynasty", while Afang Palace was awarded the "First Palace in the World".
However, it is also the largest "unfinished project" in Chinese history, which remains unfinished after more than 2,000 years, and behind this palace lies the ambition of Qin Shi Huang and the historical lessons of the Qin Dynasty from prosperity to collapse.
So why can this unfinished project of more than 2,000 years still be rated as "the first in the world"?
The will to dominate the world - the legendary life of Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang's legendary life was full of power schemes, wars and love conflicts, he had experienced a turbulent childhood, and was deeply bullied, but he was also determined to unify the six kingdoms and make the world harmonious.
The young Ying Zheng and his mother Zhao Ji wandered in Zhao and were bullied. However, this experience did not discourage Yingzheng, on the contrary, he realized the suffering of the world and the responsibility of kings, and he was determined to become a person who changed the world.
After Ying Zheng inherited the throne, because he was too young to grasp power, the schemist Lu Buwei controlled the government, and being overturned does not mean that Ying Zheng did not have the wisdom and perseverance to swim in politics.
He used his time in the court to study Xi in order to understand government affairs, and personally inspected the famous places in Beijing to further increase his knowledge and cultivation, so as to regain his prestige.
Lü Buwei was cunning and changeable, and he began to win over other powerful forces in order to weaken Yingzheng's influence, and he had an affair with Yingzheng's mother, Zhao Ji, in order to control the power of his relatives.
In addition, he also personally cultivated a eunuch named Chang Yu, and used words to induce Chang Yu to tempt Zhao Ji, and Lü Buwei's step-by-step pressure eventually aroused Ying Zheng's vigilance.
At the age of 21, Ying Zheng finally began to reclaim power with his wrists, suppressing the conspiracy of Lü Buwei and Chang Yu, he saw everything, calmly and decisively counterattacked, and secured his position.
After regaining power, Ying Zheng began his path to global domination, enacting a number of policies, such as reforming the currency and weights and measures, unifying the written language, building the Great Wall, and galloping and straightening roads.
He also forcibly relocated the wealthy people and commoners of the Six Kingdoms to strengthen his control over the entire country, and these policies not only strengthened dynastic rule, but also made Qin's territory and population more stable.
However, Ying Zheng was not perfect, and his rule was also controversial and tyrannical, and the book-burning measures sparked anger and calls for reform. But in any case, some of his initiatives can also be seen as his efforts in the pursuit of unity and insistence on governance.
Ying Zheng's love is also full of tragedy, he is deeply in love with a Zhao woman, but due to a disagreement in his identity, his marriage is rejected, and he is hindered by his emotions, and he decides to build Afang Palace as a memorial to their forever lost love.
However, when the construction of the palace was unfinished, Yingzheng died tragically, leaving a strong regret.
The legendary life of Qin Shi Huang Yingzheng is full of twists and turns and inspiration, whether it is the upheaval of childhood, or the struggle for power and the journey of unifying the six kingdoms in adulthood, he has always pursued the eternal truth in his heart with an extremely firm belief.
The construction of Afang Palace
Afang Palace, as one of the representatives of ancient Chinese palace architecture, has been famous for its grand scale and majestic momentum since ancient times.
However, there has been controversy in many historical records about how Qin Shi Huang conceived the idea of building such a large and ornate palace.
According to the historical book "Historical Records", after Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, in order to celebrate this great achievement, he hoped to gather the magnates of the Six Kingdoms here to demonstrate the power and glory of the Qin Dynasty.
At the same time, although it is not believed by archaeologists to be a true legend, it is widely circulated among the people that Qin Shi Huang loved a woman named Ah Peng, but she was never willing to enter the palace as a concubine, so the first emperor built this palace to commemorate it.
Whether it was for political reasons or personal feelings, the construction of Afang Palace was a huge project.
Afang Palace is located in the south of Xianyang, the area is vast, according to the record in the "Historical Records", the scale of the front hall of Afang Palace is very grand, the east and west are 825 steps, the north and south are 138 zhang, and can accommodate 10,000 people.
However, the construction of Afang Palace was not all smooth sailing. After Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, in addition to the Afang Palace, he also carried out the construction of the Great Wall, the construction of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the construction of the Qin Straight Road and other projects.
This not only put a huge strain on the country's financial and human resources, but also led to a relative slowdown in the pace of construction, although Qin Shi Huang proposed many policies to force the people to participate in the construction, but this did not change the great difficulties and dilemmas.
Due to the large amount of work, complex geographical conditions, insufficient human and material resources, etc., the construction of Afang Palace encountered a severe dilemma.
When Qin Shi Huang died, palace construction began to stagnate due to a shortage of resources and a lack of effective leadership. After decades of construction, the palace only completed the infrastructure and the construction of the front hall, while the expansion of the entire palace was not carried out.
The biggest "unfinished project"
According to the research of archaeologists, the width of Afang Palace is more than 630 meters from east to west, the length from north to south is more than 1.2 kilometers, and the total area is more than 900,000 square meters, which can be described as extremely spectacular.
In a less literate era, the construction of such a large palace project was truly impressive.
The main structure of the palace is divided into twenty-one palaces, full of ornate frescoes, huge steles and intricately carved carvings, and its haunting thing is the square outside the palace, which, according to archaeological finds, is a scene of thousands of people and hundreds of plays.
At that time, the female officials of the court sang songs, and the soldiers played swordsmanship, accompanied by the burning of incense flowers and candles, forming a grand scene, which was refreshing and pleasant.
However, although a lot of manpower and material resources were used to build the palace, the project was not all smooth sailing.
Previously, it was precisely because of the sudden death of Qin Shi Huang that the construction plan was in trouble, coupled with the political instability and incomplete economic prosperity after Hu Hai succeeded to the throne, and the construction of Afang Palace was difficult.
Hu Hai lacked the ability to govern the country, and during his tenure he adopted some hasty measures, which exacerbated the tendency of the country to fall apart, and eventually led to the construction of the Afang Palace being delayed and delayed.
During the peasant uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the Qin Dynasty was tired of dealing with rebellions in various places, and there was no time for him to take care of the construction of Afang Palace.
Even though some subsequent dynasties began to rebuild it, due to the increasing demand for social reforms such as resettlement of the common people and relief of the disaster-stricken areas, the financial situation was severe, and the formal and solid affairs of the Afang Palace continued to be in a difficult situation.
The Wonder of the World is of a unique value
As a miracle in the history of world architecture, Afang Palace has carried a rich historical and cultural connotation in the time of its existence, although Afang Palace was not fully completed in the Qin Dynasty, but the scale of its front hall has demonstrated the great strength of the Qin Dynasty.
At the beginning of the 3rd century BC, after the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, the emperor Qin Shi Huang began to build the Afang Palace, which was a good use of labor and material resources.
However, because the construction of Afang Palace exceeded the social affordability of the Qin Dynasty, it actually represented the glory of the Qin Dynasty and ultimately doomed its fate.
Therefore, the construction of Afang Palace has always been regarded as a challenge to the public opinion of the Qin Dynasty, and also heralded the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
In fact, the rammed earth foundation for the construction of Afang Palace has embodied huge engineering technology and human resources, this rectangular rammed earth foundation is about 1,300 meters long, about 400 meters wide, and its height is as high as 7 to 9 meters, it is the world's largest known rammed earth building foundation, shocking the world.
In addition, the Afang Palace has also become a stage for countless literati and writers to pour out their hearts, Du Mu's "A Fang Gong Fu" describes the magnificent scenery of the Afang Palace, but it also has a warning of the demise of the Qin Dynasty, and predicts the fate of the dynasty that will make future generations ponder.
With the passage of time, the ruins of Afang Palace were gradually submerged in the long river of history, until after the founding of New China, full of enthusiasm for the protection of historical relics, Afang Palace finally received due attention.
In 1961, Afang Palace was listed as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, further emphasizing its important position in the history of Chinese architecture.
After entering the 21st century, with the rapid development of science and technology and the progress of archaeological technology, in 2002, the archaeological team of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences explored and studied the ruins of Afang Palace.
A few pieces of burned soil were found in the front hall, but there were no other traces of fire, which did not match the tragic situation described in Du Mu's "A Fang Gong Fu" that was burned by Xiang Yu.
In fact, traces of the fire were found in the ruins of Qin Xianyang Palace, not Afang Palace.
It can be said that the historical status and cultural value of Afang Palace in the Qin Dynasty cannot be ignored, although Afang Palace was not built, it still became a symbol, reflecting the strong strength of the Qin Dynasty and the wisdom of the working people.
At the same time, the study of the ruins and documents of Afang Palace plays an important role in our understanding of the development of the Qin Dynasty and its architectural culture.
The author thinks
Afang Palace, an ancient Chinese building known as a wonder of the world, has attracted the attention of countless people with its unique charm and rich historical connotation.
Although many details about Afang Palace are still controversial, it is undeniable that it has become one of the representatives of ancient Chinese architectural art.
The ruins of Afang Palace still retain the style of the past, it has become an important window for us to understand ancient history, and at the same time, Afang Palace also reminds us that the lessons of history cannot be forgotten, and we must take history as a mirror and cherish the peace and prosperity of the present.
Sources of information:
Notice of the State Council on Publishing the List of the First Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units
Qin Afang Palace, Lost Historical Memory
Excavation and Research of Qin Afang Palace Site.China Archaeological Network