纪录片《文明》 第55期 自视如何（16）

These portraits, then, are not just memorials -

这些肖像不仅仅是纪念品

they're attempts

它们是为了尝试

to keep the presence of the dead among the living

把逝者永远留在生者中间

and to blur the boundary between this world and the next.

以此模糊此生和来世之间的界限

Painted faces and sculpted bodies

画出的脸和雕刻出的身体

always played vital roles in the lives of ancient people

在与它们共同生活天天相见的古人生活中

who lived with them and looked at them.

一直扮演着至关重要的角色

But how do we make sense of those ancient statues

但我们要如何理解那些

that were not designed to be seen at all?

不是为了被人看到而制造出来的雕像呢

China, as we know it, was born around 200 BC,

据我们所知 中国约诞生于公元前200年

united under its first emperor, Qin.

由第一位皇帝秦始皇完成统一

Just as the Romans would do in the West,

正如罗马人在西方所做的那样

he standardised everything in his efforts to exert control.

为了巩固统治 他把一切都标准化了