China's Dragon Emperor

246 B.C. On the western border of a crumbling dynasty in Far East Asia, a 13-year-old boy is crowned king. In just over two decades of rule, he unites seven warring states into one imperial superpower, laying the foundations for modern day China. This is the story of Qin Shi Huang, a controversial figure who has been painted in history as both a transformative ruler and a brutal tyrant.

In the summer of 1974, archaeologists in Northwest China made a remarkable find: an army of life-sized clay soldiers buried underground. These terracotta warriors—over 8,000 of them—were created to guard over the first emperor of China in his massive burial mound. Enter his royal tomb, a structure bigger than the Great Pyramid of Giza, and discover how it was constructed over 38 years through the hard labor of 700,000 workers. Then see the elaborate measures taken to preserve these ancient findings and bring the past to light.