History has just been rewritten! Archaeologists in Shaanxi Province China have uncovered a 2,200-year-old “superhighway” once commanded by Emperor Qin Shi Huang — China’s first emperor — that stretched nearly 900 km across the empire.
This remarkable ancient road, known as the Qin Straight Road, was part of a massive infrastructure project ordered by Qin Shi Huang around 212 BC-207 BC to rapidly move troops, officials, and supplies, and to unify and govern distant regions of his vast empire. Excavations of a newly found 13-km section reveal advanced engineering techniques including straight trenches, reinforced slopes of rammed earth, compacted roadbeds, and filled valleys evidence that this corridor was designed for heavy, sustained use.
South China Morning Post
At up to 40–60 m wide, the road would have been comparable to a modern four-lane highway, offering a direct route from Xianyang (near modern Xi’an) to Jiuyuan (present-day Baotou) helping the Qin Dynasty exert control and safeguard its borders against nomadic threats.
The discovery not only confirms ancient texts but also highlights how advanced infrastructure was essential for early imperial power, reshaping our understanding of ancient travel, trade, logistics, and statecraft.
