Online claims revive mercury mystery around tomb of first Chinese emperor - South China Morning Post

Meredith ChenPublished: 9:00am, 2 Oct 2026Online claims that archaeologists have identified the source of mercury in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang – China’s first emperor, who unified the country more than 2,000 years ago – have revived interest in ancient cinnabar sites in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province.

The claims, which sent related hashtags trending on social media late last month, centred on three sites in Xunyang where archaeologists last year found evidence of cinnabar mining, processing and transport during the pre-Qin and Qin-Han periods.