# Will the tomb of the First Emperor of China ever be fully excavated?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 14, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491 "2006-02-14T18:16:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/1 "2006-02-14T18:16:46Z")
This might be more a GD or one of the other forums (mods, feel free to move if so) but I was watching a show on the First Emperor of China the other day and was wondering if the main tomb itself will ever be excavated. I was stunned at what all they have found so far…but there seems to be real reluctance to actually excavate the actual tomb (which is actually a massive tomb complex). Will the Chinese ever excavate the actual central tomb?
As a bonus (and certainly NOT a GQ)…what do you think they will find there? Lakes of mercury? Precious jewels in the roof depicting the stars? Massive treasure? Will there be a mummy (I know there ARE Chinese mummies, but not sure if they were doing it at that time…or even had the chance since I understand the man was rotting for weeks before they managed to get him to the tomb). Or will the thing have been looted like so many other tombs in the past? With the possible exception of Genghis Khan’s lost tomb I can’t think of anything that is more historically significant than this tomb.
-XT
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/2 "2006-02-14T18:19:10Z")
I wouldn’t be at all suprised to learn that a General of the Red Army was looting it right now.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/3 "2006-02-14T18:44:56Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#):
>
> I wouldn’t be at all suprised to learn that a General of the Red Army was looting it right now.
Why?
I don’t think they’ll do it for a long time…they are afraid of what they might learn about their history.
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### Author:  [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/4 "2006-02-14T18:49:15Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> I don’t think they’ll do it for a long time…they are afraid of what they might learn about their history.
What could they learn that they would fear?
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### Author:  [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/5 "2006-02-14T19:00:55Z")
> [@xtisme](#):
>
> With the possible exception of Genghis Khan’s lost tomb I can’t think of anything that is more historically significant than this tomb.
Why do you think the tomb of Genghis Khan would be of great interest?
Anyway, I too am very intrigued by this unexcavated tomb, and have been wondering for a long time why they still didn’t open it.
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### Author:  [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/6 "2006-02-14T19:23:27Z")
> [@Xtisme](#):
>
> what do you think they will find there? Lakes of mercury?
On the Discovery Channel’s program they said scientist had found huge amounts of mercury vapor, where the tomb would be under that big mound.
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### Author:  [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/7 "2006-02-14T19:28:49Z")
[A previous GQ thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=273053) about why the Chinese are in no hurry to excavate the main tomb.
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### Author:  [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-tomb-of-the-first-emperor-of-china-ever-be-fully-excavated/344491/8 "2006-02-14T20:22:56Z")
> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> Anyway, I too am very intrigued by this unexcavated tomb, and have been wondering for a long time why they still didn’t open it.
I’ve read that the Chinese government doesn’t feel that current technology is advanced enough to fully protect and preserve the tomb, and are afraid current methods might have long-term consequences.