What do you think?
Rate this book
The Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 8,099 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China - each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor's army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness. The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. He built the first Great Wall and brought a single written script to the whole country. He was an inspired and ruthless ruler, but one also beset by paranoia and a desire for immortality. He is still considered the founding father of the modern state of China. On his death in 210 BC he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi'an. Legends of the treasures contained therein still tantalize the imagination today. In 1974, local farmers digging a well for water broke through into the burial mound and found the first of the Terracotta warriors. Further excavations have revealed the full splendour of the buried army. But the majority of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself - myth tells us that amongst the treasures yet to be uncovered is a vast map of the First Emperor's kingdom with rivers marked with channels of flowing mercury. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
51 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
John Man
73 books261 followersJohn Anthony Garnet Man is a British historian and travel writer. His special interests are China, Mongolia and the history of written communication. He takes particular pleasure in combining historical narrative with personal experience.
He studied German and French at Keble College, Oxford, before doing two postgraduate courses, a diploma in the History and Philosophy of Science at Oxford and Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies, completing the latter in 1968. After working in journalism with Reuters and in publishing with Time-Life Books, he turned to writing, with occasional forays into film, TV and radio.
In the 1990s, he began a trilogy on the three major revolutions in writing: writing itself, the alphabet and printing with movable type. This has so far resulted in two books, Alpha Beta and The Gutenberg Revolution, both republished in 2009. The third, on the origin of writing, is on hold, because it depends on access to Iraq.
He returned to the subject of Mongolia with Gobi: Tracking the Desert, the first book on the region since the 1920s. Work in Mongolia led to Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection, which has so far appeared in 18 languages. Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan: The Mongol King Who Remade China completed a trilogy on Asian leaders. A revised edition of his book on Genghis Khan, with the results of an expedition up the mountain on which he is supposed to be buried, was upcoming in autumn 2010.
The Terracotta Army coincided with the British Museum exhibition (September 2007- April 2008). This was followed by The Great Wall. The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan combines history and leadership theory. Xanadu: Marco Polo and the Discovery of the East was published in autumn 2009, and Samurai: The Last Warrior, the story of Saigō Takamori's doomed 1877 rebellion against the Japanese emperor, was published in February 2011.
In 2007 John Man was awarded Mongolia's Friendship Medal for his contributions to UK-Mongolian relations.
He studied German and French at Keble College, Oxford, before doing two postgraduate courses, a diploma in the History and Philosophy of Science at Oxford and Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies, completing the latter in 1968. After working in journalism with Reuters and in publishing with Time-Life Books, he turned to writing, with occasional forays into film, TV and radio.
In the 1990s, he began a trilogy on the three major revolutions in writing: writing itself, the alphabet and printing with movable type. This has so far resulted in two books, Alpha Beta and The Gutenberg Revolution, both republished in 2009. The third, on the origin of writing, is on hold, because it depends on access to Iraq.
He returned to the subject of Mongolia with Gobi: Tracking the Desert, the first book on the region since the 1920s. Work in Mongolia led to Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection, which has so far appeared in 18 languages. Attila the Hun and Kublai Khan: The Mongol King Who Remade China completed a trilogy on Asian leaders. A revised edition of his book on Genghis Khan, with the results of an expedition up the mountain on which he is supposed to be buried, was upcoming in autumn 2010.
The Terracotta Army coincided with the British Museum exhibition (September 2007- April 2008). This was followed by The Great Wall. The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan combines history and leadership theory. Xanadu: Marco Polo and the Discovery of the East was published in autumn 2009, and Samurai: The Last Warrior, the story of Saigō Takamori's doomed 1877 rebellion against the Japanese emperor, was published in February 2011.
In 2007 John Man was awarded Mongolia's Friendship Medal for his contributions to UK-Mongolian relations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 13, 2024
The thing about being the biggest reader in an extended family of small to moderate readers is, at some inevitable point in life, your bookshelf becomes the unofficial book dustbin for everyone else. Instead of selling or donating the books my big fat Indian family hates slash decides to never pick up once, they just "gift" them to me. And this is precisely how I, a predominantly fiction aficionado and very decidedly not into studying history, ended up with a deeply niche nonfiction book on ancient Chinese history in my hands.
Don't get me wrong. I love history. I love to randomly start Wikipedia scrolling on obscure articles about a certain mediaeval queen from Ireland or watch hour-long video essays on the significance of crinolines in Western fashion from a feminist point of view. It's just that after graduating middle school, history stopped becoming a subject in general which I could potentially see myself reading a dense 400-page book on. But after ignoring this sad little hardcover for almost nine years, I felt compelled to take it with me on a long vacation as a last ditch effort to crack it open, because god knows I turn into my least snooty reader self while being forced into leaving the comfort of my home by my travel addict parents.
I suppose by now you've come to the understanding that this is going to be very much of an outlier's review, because I'm positive that this is the first and last book from this genre I'm ever going to read, unless, off course, another one of my cousins decides to drop off a second book on the making of, say, the hanging garden of Babylon. And with my armour of naivety, I can safely say that contrary to my initial thoughts, I found myself really enjoying the book. For those unaware, the titular Terracotta Army is a marvellous relic of China's rich cultural heritage. These life-size terracotta statues were modelled after the formidable army of the First Emperor of China, as his spirit guards to accompany him in his afterlife, buried with him inside his tomb. John Man, the historian slash researcher slash author of this book, gives us a detailed account of the sculptures, from their chance discovery in post-revolutionary China at the hands of six farmer siblings who were just trying to dig up a well to battle a drought to the historical and utterly dramatic circumstances of their conception. He writes about the eighth wonder of the world with a passion that quickly managed to seep into even an unusual reader as me. His easy narration, coupled with a subtle sense of humour, made the undoubtedly dry technical bits adequately gripping. I especially liked learning about Sima Qian, the Chinese equivalent of Herodotus or Rishi Vyas dev, who cleverly exaggerated parts of the historic characterisation of the Qin emperor, for whom the clay army was built, to take subtle digs at his own sadistic and often ruthless emperor. My knowledge about Chinese history was embarrassingly infinitesimal to begin with, and I'm sure even a historical discovery as magnificent as the terracotta army would only take up a minimal portion of thousands of years of rich cultural heritage of the nation, but at the end of the day, I'm happy to have gained enough funda on this topic from this book to give verbose and overextending lectures to my unassuming, and soon-to-be suffering friends at some restaurant one day.
Don't get me wrong. I love history. I love to randomly start Wikipedia scrolling on obscure articles about a certain mediaeval queen from Ireland or watch hour-long video essays on the significance of crinolines in Western fashion from a feminist point of view. It's just that after graduating middle school, history stopped becoming a subject in general which I could potentially see myself reading a dense 400-page book on. But after ignoring this sad little hardcover for almost nine years, I felt compelled to take it with me on a long vacation as a last ditch effort to crack it open, because god knows I turn into my least snooty reader self while being forced into leaving the comfort of my home by my travel addict parents.
I suppose by now you've come to the understanding that this is going to be very much of an outlier's review, because I'm positive that this is the first and last book from this genre I'm ever going to read, unless, off course, another one of my cousins decides to drop off a second book on the making of, say, the hanging garden of Babylon. And with my armour of naivety, I can safely say that contrary to my initial thoughts, I found myself really enjoying the book. For those unaware, the titular Terracotta Army is a marvellous relic of China's rich cultural heritage. These life-size terracotta statues were modelled after the formidable army of the First Emperor of China, as his spirit guards to accompany him in his afterlife, buried with him inside his tomb. John Man, the historian slash researcher slash author of this book, gives us a detailed account of the sculptures, from their chance discovery in post-revolutionary China at the hands of six farmer siblings who were just trying to dig up a well to battle a drought to the historical and utterly dramatic circumstances of their conception. He writes about the eighth wonder of the world with a passion that quickly managed to seep into even an unusual reader as me. His easy narration, coupled with a subtle sense of humour, made the undoubtedly dry technical bits adequately gripping. I especially liked learning about Sima Qian, the Chinese equivalent of Herodotus or Rishi Vyas dev, who cleverly exaggerated parts of the historic characterisation of the Qin emperor, for whom the clay army was built, to take subtle digs at his own sadistic and often ruthless emperor. My knowledge about Chinese history was embarrassingly infinitesimal to begin with, and I'm sure even a historical discovery as magnificent as the terracotta army would only take up a minimal portion of thousands of years of rich cultural heritage of the nation, but at the end of the day, I'm happy to have gained enough funda on this topic from this book to give verbose and overextending lectures to my unassuming, and soon-to-be suffering friends at some restaurant one day.
August 27, 2016
Recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Chinese history , specially the 1sr Chinese emperor . It was a very good and researched book.
October 31, 2014
The details of the physical warriors, the mechanics of their construction and the complex in which they were housed and the restoration of them were fantastically interesting. The book also delves into the people and politics and the history, which was less captivating for me, but essential if a full understanding of the circumstances around the Terracotta Army is required.
John Man is methodical in his research and presentation, and the books is very readable, taking on almost a conversational approach at times.
Great photographs included also.
John Man is methodical in his research and presentation, and the books is very readable, taking on almost a conversational approach at times.
Great photographs included also.
June 20, 2018
The Terracotta Army is great popular history: atmospheric, easy to read, almost a travel guide to seeing the Army in the modern world as well as to understanding its context and how it came to be. Man writes engagingly about the politics that informed the creation of the Terracotta Army and how it was seen, and about the politics which informed the revelation of the Army and the way it is now viewed in the world. He makes a lot of smart points, and though I don’t know the history of the period or the area well enough to judge whether he’s right in his analyses, it seemed convincing to me.
I’m definitely thinking of picking up more of Man’s work; this wasn’t unputdownable, but it was definitely easy to just keep reading instead of finishing a chapter, putting it down, and going to sleep. He brings the events and politics to life very clearly. It doesn’t feel greatly in depth, but it’s entertaining and informative.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
May 14, 2017
Jika anda tertarik dgn detail-detail arkeologis, buku ini tepat utk anda. Intinya, makam Kaisar Pertama ini masih penuh misteri dan (kemungkinan besar) penemuan patung-patung terracotta ini masih permulaan dan blm menyentuh ke bagian inti makam dimana jasad sang Kaisar disemayamkan.
Sayangnya, saya cuma menyukai bagian fakta sejarahnya saja, dari leluhur Dinasti Qin hingga kejatuhan dinasti ini. Banyak alur cerita yg bercabang dan malah melenceng dari pakem menurut saya. Jadi jangan heran, banyak yg saya skip-skip saat membaca buku ini.
Sayangnya, saya cuma menyukai bagian fakta sejarahnya saja, dari leluhur Dinasti Qin hingga kejatuhan dinasti ini. Banyak alur cerita yg bercabang dan malah melenceng dari pakem menurut saya. Jadi jangan heran, banyak yg saya skip-skip saat membaca buku ini.
December 13, 2021
A very interesting read. Not quite what I expected because instead of some linear history it dots about in time a bit, is sometimes even a tour guide. It would be very interesting if there were a 2021 edition with chapters on what has become of all that was planned for after the book's end in 2007.
June 24, 2014
On a quest for continuing self education, this seemed like a good book to read. And it was. I have great interest in history, though not so much Asian history, but it seems like an education ought to be balanced and well rounded and this author is an expert in the field. Not only that, but this book reads how history book ought to read, interesting, exciting and, of course, educational. There is even a tad of travelogue thrown in. What I particularly enjoy is that the author doesn't just repeat the facts, he interprets them using his expertise and basic logic, he surmises the events, makes educated guesses. Considering how scant the genuine historical facts really are and how much of it is hearsay, records of records, reinterpretations and so on, this seems to be a good approach to telling history or at least telling history in a way that doesn't put the readers to sleep. Another awesome thing about this book is two inserts with plenty of color photographs. Not many will get a chance to travel to China and see the great terra cotta army in person and so this is a reasonably adequate substitute. Interesting enlightening read for anyone with interest in the subject and/or anyone who likes their history books lively and accessible. Recommended.
March 7, 2011
This is an interesting book written by an author who is always described as a travel writer and historian. Well, he's much more than that. John Man is a hands-on researcher: he interviews, he investigates, he observes, he calculates - and his enthusiasm is extraordinary and strangely uplifting. He is so genuinely enthralled with the Terracotta Army and its history that it's impossible not to share his enthusiasm.
And it is a very interesting topic. I have seen the warriors and thought they were just all right. They were much more intriguing to read about; how they came to be, the tragedy that occurred four years after the pits were finished, the myriad problems the archaeologists face, all the items that have been found, what has yet to be unearthed, what is currently being planned for the area and much, much more. Man's writing style is plain - don't look for flair - but it works and you feel you've learned quite a bit by the last page. This is the second John Man book I've read, the first being The Great Wall, which was also very good. There are not many China writers penning books these days about specialized China topics, but here's one; a good one.
And it is a very interesting topic. I have seen the warriors and thought they were just all right. They were much more intriguing to read about; how they came to be, the tragedy that occurred four years after the pits were finished, the myriad problems the archaeologists face, all the items that have been found, what has yet to be unearthed, what is currently being planned for the area and much, much more. Man's writing style is plain - don't look for flair - but it works and you feel you've learned quite a bit by the last page. This is the second John Man book I've read, the first being The Great Wall, which was also very good. There are not many China writers penning books these days about specialized China topics, but here's one; a good one.
October 12, 2016
3.5 stars
Bit of a slog getting through this, though I find this period in Chinese history interesting, and, I had the added benefit of actually seeing a number of the terracotta figures.
Bit of a slog getting through this, though I find this period in Chinese history interesting, and, I had the added benefit of actually seeing a number of the terracotta figures.
May 20, 2018
When i saw the documentary of Terra Cota army on the Field museum in Chicago, it was unbelievable. I always like history and it always fascinated me. Terracota army took my excitement to a far extent. And when i saw this book in the library few days back, i thought i could read more about the same, but also was little sceptical as to what new would be in the book which was not in the documentary i saw. And it turned out(As usual) the book offered much much more. John Man really did a thorough research and has discussed with almost all major people involved in the discovery and the consequent excavations and on going works and museums etc. He also read a lot on China's ancient history. So with all his research he delivered in this book not just about Terracota army, but also about the Chinese history of Qin dynasty, the First emperor, the Warring states period, and the fall of Qin dynasty post First Emperor's death, the philosophies Confucianism vs Legalism and their similarities with the current political climate(Mao related to First emperor) in China etc. And about the terra cota army site in much detail in maps and pictures, the economy and the tourism it brought to Shaanxi province where the Terracota army and First emperor's mausoleum are there. And it seems only around 1/8th of the pits have been excavated in last 40 odd years. And the emperor's mausoleum excavation is yet to begin. So we can expect more stories and discoveries on the first Emperor and his Spirit Army in the years to come and China would continually draw tourists to visit the 2000+ years old Spirit army with 8000 clay warriors(around 1300 excavated until now) and whatever the surprises the First Emperor tomb holds. Overall this was a very satisfying read for me.
June 24, 2023
"The Terra Cotta Army" was fine.
Man is a little too informal in his prose at times, gets too technical at other times, and he begins with the argument that our primary source for Qin Shi Huang--Sima Qian--was lying but of course he's usually the only source so he has to keep quoting him, which of course is paradoxical.
Having said that, Man does provide some interesting details about ancient China and especially about how the Terra Cotta army was made (like who knew that actually forming the warriors was relatively easy compared to digging the whole or applying the lacquer for the paint). Man also interviews several people involved with the warriors--those at the discovery, restorers, etc...--and I appreciated this human touch.
Man is a little too informal in his prose at times, gets too technical at other times, and he begins with the argument that our primary source for Qin Shi Huang--Sima Qian--was lying but of course he's usually the only source so he has to keep quoting him, which of course is paradoxical.
Having said that, Man does provide some interesting details about ancient China and especially about how the Terra Cotta army was made (like who knew that actually forming the warriors was relatively easy compared to digging the whole or applying the lacquer for the paint). Man also interviews several people involved with the warriors--those at the discovery, restorers, etc...--and I appreciated this human touch.
September 29, 2024
This was from my Wordy Traveller book box and a great introduction to the Terra Cotta Army and the first emperor who brought China together under one ruler. The mass scale of his burial site, the army, the horses, and chariots, all of it is really unbelievable to have been constructed then and I can understand why Chirac, a former French President who visited the site, called it the 8th wonder. So much unknown and much of what is known based on writing by one-man hundreds of years later. And so interesting how it was found, saved, and has been replicated for tourists. Would love to see this someday.
June 21, 2025
First published in 2007, 'The Terracotta Army' is the popular name for a group of an estimated 8,000 life size terracotta replica of ancient Chinese soldiers built and ultimately buried in halls that surround the burial mound of China's first emperor. Their survival as artifacts through the vandalism of subsequent regime changes owes much to the forgotten nature of this archaeological wonder, although it is made clear that the recovery of items via painstaking archaeology will continue for a long time. Clearly the book imparts a lot of fascinating info, and only occasionally loses focus. Very enjoyable.
April 16, 2019
I enjoyed reading John Man's The Terracotta Army. John has a great style of writing, he manages to mix the current People's republic of China back to the ancient times of the first emperor.
John also takes us through his own journey traveling around China detailing his accounts of his own research behind the Terracotta army, it borders on a historic book on China as well as a travel writer own academic journey. I was, however, left with a lot of unanswered questions on the subject but I expected this and I bought the book as a sort of beginners guide on the subject.
John also takes us through his own journey traveling around China detailing his accounts of his own research behind the Terracotta army, it borders on a historic book on China as well as a travel writer own academic journey. I was, however, left with a lot of unanswered questions on the subject but I expected this and I bought the book as a sort of beginners guide on the subject.
April 11, 2023
I don't know if I have to find a different non-fiction genre that suits me better, but I have tried to get into historical non-fiction and so far I had to drop all of the books chosen, and the conundrum is that I'm very interested in history.
I have noticed though a common trend that keeps me from continuing a book which is the writing style. Same as with 'The Terracotta Army' the writing lulled me to sleep with how unengaging it was. So much information which I was presented with and the author going on and on, made me put the book aside.
I have noticed though a common trend that keeps me from continuing a book which is the writing style. Same as with 'The Terracotta Army' the writing lulled me to sleep with how unengaging it was. So much information which I was presented with and the author going on and on, made me put the book aside.
July 25, 2017
Good introduction to the subject. Author seemed a bit degrading at times and sometimes opinions won over facts which was frustrating to read. Having known little about the subjects beforehand, I at least picked up a rough outline of the time period and historical settings- both when the army was created under the First Emperor of Qin and when it was rediscovered under Mao - and a lot of interesting facts.
December 9, 2024
Am aflat foarte multe lucruri despre prima unificare a Chinei, despre Primul Imparat. Cartea contine si cateva planse color cu fotografii luate in interiorul muzeului si in spatiile de restaurare si nu este doar o carte de documentare, ci contine si povesti pe care istoricii le-au transmis posteritatii. Un motiv in plus sa caut o expozitie prin Europa cu acesti razboinici extrem de realisti, fascinanti.
April 21, 2020
An interesting look into the history of the terracota warrior. I haven’t got a chance to visit this and with this global lockdown happening, reading this feels like i’m traveling there and experiencing the site myself 😊
April 16, 2023
I was really disappointed with this book. Man tries to deal with so many subjects around the Terracotta army that he seems to lose his point. Not to mention the huge amount of assumptions he introduces in the text.
June 8, 2017
Best of the set I've read on this topic. Narrative voice integrates historical and first person seamlessly. Final chapters do a nice job illuminating significance and symbolism in 21st century.
February 28, 2018
Author talks to reader as teacher talks to a child. It’s a very self-centric work in large parts.
Read
November 30, 2020Ușor de citit!
June 29, 2021
I got the idea.
Kayaknya lebih enak nonton aja di NatGeo daripada baca buku kalau tentang ini.
Kayaknya lebih enak nonton aja di NatGeo daripada baca buku kalau tentang ini.
September 13, 2021
Very cool and interesting, John Man is quite funny at times
November 14, 2022
Interesting background to those facinating statues.
January 17, 2024
OK author.. it's Xi'an not Xian, people may pronounce it sién as in xian zai (now).
This book contains 3 parts: I Origin, II Beyond the Grave, III the Eight wonders. Only Part II worth reading.
This book contains 3 parts: I Origin, II Beyond the Grave, III the Eight wonders. Only Part II worth reading.
March 22, 2025
Bucket List item is to see this in China. Got to see some of the warriors at an exhibit in Richmond. Fascinating
September 4, 2025
Really interesting
November 10, 2011
Dapat buku ini krn hadiah ulang tahun dari teman baikku. (belate birthday present)
Awal rasa ketertarikan saya dengan Teracotta Army adalah dari sebuah acara dokumenter di sebuah stasiun televisi. Film dokumenter itu menceritakan tentang roman kaisar China pertama, Qin Shih Huang alias Ying Zheng. (walau di sini Ying Zheng digambarkan hanya bisa gemetar ketakutan waktu diserang orang2 yang mau bunuh dia dan ada beberapa adegan tidak masuk akal. tapi itu soal lain, sebaiknya cepat-cepat back to the topic)
Sebelum membaca buku ini, saya sempat berdebat sengit dengan seorang teman yang juga menyukai sejarah Tiongkok. Kita sempat berdebat keras tentang Han Xin. Saya mendebat Han Xin berdasarkan buku-buku manual modern tentang China dari beberapa buku yang kemudian saya simpulkan bahwa Han Xin telah memiliki kesempatan sebanyak 2 kali mengkhianati Liu Bang, namun ia tidak mengambil kesempatan itu sama sekali. Dan apa yang saya baca berupa kisah dokumentasi (yang mana berarti tidak ada unsur cerita romans yang dalam beberapa aspek dilebih2kan agar tampak manis)
Namun teman ini mendebat bahwa Han Xin itu tidak berguna, hanya pion rendahan, pengkhianat, rakus, dan tidak berperan besar dalam kesuksesan Liu Bang menjadi kaisar Han yang pertama.
Tentu saja pendapat dia sangat bertentangan dengan apa yang kusimpulkan dari membaca cerita-cerita dokumentasi tentang Han Xin.
Selidik punya selidik, rupanya teman saya itu mendapatkan kesimpulan seperti itu berdasarkan komentar Sima Qian. Sejarahwan yang kira-kira hidup pada masa dinasti Han, pada masa pemerintahan Kaisar Wu.
Lalu apa hubungannya Han Xin dengan buku ini?
Sebenarnya bukan Han Xin yang hendak saya tekankan, namun seseorang yang namanya seringkali disebut berulang kali oleh John Man dan dikritik oleh beliau dengan cara yang cukup menggelitik namun juga pedas. Seseorang itu adalah Sima Qian, sumber satu-satunya John Man mengenai Dinasti Qin (berdasarkan tulisan John Man sendiri dalam buku ini).
Rupanya Sima Qian adalah seorang pengkritik yang cukup (bila saya bayangkan) eksentrik dan berani, sehingga suatu ketika kritiknya ini membuat Kaisar menjadi marah dan mengebirinya. Disebutkan oleh John Man bahwa sejak itu Sima Qian lebih berhati-hati dalam mengkritik (sekalipun tetap pedas dan semakin berlebihan). Dan yang terutama, Sima Qian jadi tidak berani mengkritik langsung orang yang hendak dikritiknya.
Menurut John Man seperti yang saya baca dalam buku ini, Sima Qian mengkritik Kaisar Wu dengan cara menunjuk Kaisar Qin Shih Huang. Maka dengan begitu, John Man terasa cukup meragukan dokumentasi Sima Qian karena ia bercuriga jangan-jangan catatan Sima Qian tetang dinasti Qin ini sesungguhnya adalah kritik tidak langsung bagi Kaisar Wu. Hal ini membuat John Man beberapa kali mencurigai pernyataan Sima Qian dan tak jarang menyebut tulisannya terkesan berlebihan dan mengada-ada. Contoh yang saya ingat adalah saat Sima Qian menuliskan bahwa ada sekitar 120.000 kepala keluarga yang diperintahkan Kaisar Qin untuk melakukan sesuatu (maaf, saya lupa), namun John Man tidak percaya pada pernyataan ini, karena 120.000 kepala keluarga itu berarti sekitar 600.000 orang. Dan jumlah ini terlalu besar dan sangat berlebihan untuk ukuran kehidupan pada zaman itu. Contoh lain tentang ketidak akuratan catatan Sima Qian adalah mengenai ukuran luas istana Epang. Yang dicatat memiliki panjang sekitar 500 meter dan lebar sekitar 100 meter, ternyata memiliki panjang sekitar 1 km dan lebarnya (maaf saya lupa lagi).
Dengan demikian saya putuskan bahwa John Man adalah seorang sejarahwan yang cukup kritis dan cukup bijak dalam membagi informasi yang ia miliki mengenai Teracotta Army ini. Tulisan yang semacam ini biasanya bisa dipercaya dan pantas dibaca.
Membaca buku ini (bagi saya) tidak melelahkan mata seperti membaca buku non-fiksi lainnya. Karena narasi John Man begitu mengalir dan tidak terlalu berbelit-belit. Selain itu, narasi beliau juga cukup "witty", penuh dengan humor kering yang kritis dan kadang sedikit tajam, sehingga membuat saya terpingkal-pingkal di beberapa bagian saat membaca buku ini, sekalipun narasi itu bukan jenis narasi humor.
Berkat narasi senyaman itu, saya hanya butuh waktu 2 hari untuk membaca setengah dari buku tersebut. (atau mungkin karena saya sangat mencintai budaya leluhur saya?)
Buku ini recomended bagi mereka yang ingin mengetahui sistem hukum pada abad sebelum masehi.
Tentang seorang kaisar besar yang banyak meninggalkan karya "tiran" nya bagi dunia. Ternyata dia dipermalukan keluarganya sendiri akibat tindakan sang ibu yang sangat amoral sehingga ia bahkan tidak dapat memastikan siapa ayah kandungnya.
Awal rasa ketertarikan saya dengan Teracotta Army adalah dari sebuah acara dokumenter di sebuah stasiun televisi. Film dokumenter itu menceritakan tentang roman kaisar China pertama, Qin Shih Huang alias Ying Zheng. (walau di sini Ying Zheng digambarkan hanya bisa gemetar ketakutan waktu diserang orang2 yang mau bunuh dia dan ada beberapa adegan tidak masuk akal. tapi itu soal lain, sebaiknya cepat-cepat back to the topic)
Sebelum membaca buku ini, saya sempat berdebat sengit dengan seorang teman yang juga menyukai sejarah Tiongkok. Kita sempat berdebat keras tentang Han Xin. Saya mendebat Han Xin berdasarkan buku-buku manual modern tentang China dari beberapa buku yang kemudian saya simpulkan bahwa Han Xin telah memiliki kesempatan sebanyak 2 kali mengkhianati Liu Bang, namun ia tidak mengambil kesempatan itu sama sekali. Dan apa yang saya baca berupa kisah dokumentasi (yang mana berarti tidak ada unsur cerita romans yang dalam beberapa aspek dilebih2kan agar tampak manis)
Namun teman ini mendebat bahwa Han Xin itu tidak berguna, hanya pion rendahan, pengkhianat, rakus, dan tidak berperan besar dalam kesuksesan Liu Bang menjadi kaisar Han yang pertama.
Tentu saja pendapat dia sangat bertentangan dengan apa yang kusimpulkan dari membaca cerita-cerita dokumentasi tentang Han Xin.
Selidik punya selidik, rupanya teman saya itu mendapatkan kesimpulan seperti itu berdasarkan komentar Sima Qian. Sejarahwan yang kira-kira hidup pada masa dinasti Han, pada masa pemerintahan Kaisar Wu.
Lalu apa hubungannya Han Xin dengan buku ini?
Sebenarnya bukan Han Xin yang hendak saya tekankan, namun seseorang yang namanya seringkali disebut berulang kali oleh John Man dan dikritik oleh beliau dengan cara yang cukup menggelitik namun juga pedas. Seseorang itu adalah Sima Qian, sumber satu-satunya John Man mengenai Dinasti Qin (berdasarkan tulisan John Man sendiri dalam buku ini).
Rupanya Sima Qian adalah seorang pengkritik yang cukup (bila saya bayangkan) eksentrik dan berani, sehingga suatu ketika kritiknya ini membuat Kaisar menjadi marah dan mengebirinya. Disebutkan oleh John Man bahwa sejak itu Sima Qian lebih berhati-hati dalam mengkritik (sekalipun tetap pedas dan semakin berlebihan). Dan yang terutama, Sima Qian jadi tidak berani mengkritik langsung orang yang hendak dikritiknya.
Menurut John Man seperti yang saya baca dalam buku ini, Sima Qian mengkritik Kaisar Wu dengan cara menunjuk Kaisar Qin Shih Huang. Maka dengan begitu, John Man terasa cukup meragukan dokumentasi Sima Qian karena ia bercuriga jangan-jangan catatan Sima Qian tetang dinasti Qin ini sesungguhnya adalah kritik tidak langsung bagi Kaisar Wu. Hal ini membuat John Man beberapa kali mencurigai pernyataan Sima Qian dan tak jarang menyebut tulisannya terkesan berlebihan dan mengada-ada. Contoh yang saya ingat adalah saat Sima Qian menuliskan bahwa ada sekitar 120.000 kepala keluarga yang diperintahkan Kaisar Qin untuk melakukan sesuatu (maaf, saya lupa), namun John Man tidak percaya pada pernyataan ini, karena 120.000 kepala keluarga itu berarti sekitar 600.000 orang. Dan jumlah ini terlalu besar dan sangat berlebihan untuk ukuran kehidupan pada zaman itu. Contoh lain tentang ketidak akuratan catatan Sima Qian adalah mengenai ukuran luas istana Epang. Yang dicatat memiliki panjang sekitar 500 meter dan lebar sekitar 100 meter, ternyata memiliki panjang sekitar 1 km dan lebarnya (maaf saya lupa lagi).
Dengan demikian saya putuskan bahwa John Man adalah seorang sejarahwan yang cukup kritis dan cukup bijak dalam membagi informasi yang ia miliki mengenai Teracotta Army ini. Tulisan yang semacam ini biasanya bisa dipercaya dan pantas dibaca.
Membaca buku ini (bagi saya) tidak melelahkan mata seperti membaca buku non-fiksi lainnya. Karena narasi John Man begitu mengalir dan tidak terlalu berbelit-belit. Selain itu, narasi beliau juga cukup "witty", penuh dengan humor kering yang kritis dan kadang sedikit tajam, sehingga membuat saya terpingkal-pingkal di beberapa bagian saat membaca buku ini, sekalipun narasi itu bukan jenis narasi humor.
Berkat narasi senyaman itu, saya hanya butuh waktu 2 hari untuk membaca setengah dari buku tersebut. (atau mungkin karena saya sangat mencintai budaya leluhur saya?)
Buku ini recomended bagi mereka yang ingin mengetahui sistem hukum pada abad sebelum masehi.
Tentang seorang kaisar besar yang banyak meninggalkan karya "tiran" nya bagi dunia. Ternyata dia dipermalukan keluarganya sendiri akibat tindakan sang ibu yang sangat amoral sehingga ia bahkan tidak dapat memastikan siapa ayah kandungnya.
November 19, 2019
Some interesting ideas rarely backed up with hard facts. Waffles on a lot, i mean a lot. Cant really place what sort of book this is, history/travelogue? Needs a better editor. Reads a bit like someones holiday blog, that they padded out with facts from wikipedia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews