Who were the prototypes of the Twelve Bronze Figures cast by Qin Shihuang?

The prototypes of the 12 bronze figures cast by Qin Shi Huang were the Yi Di people.

As we all know, Qin Shihuang was the first emperor of our country to unify the Central Plains. Consolidating the political power in the early stages of establishing his political power was the first problem he had to solve. Due to many years of continuous fighting and hundreds of industries waiting to be prospered, Qin Shihuang made adjustments in many aspects such as economy and military. Economically, he unified currency, weights and measures, and facilitated the circulation of goods throughout the country. Military affairs were what he was most concerned about. Qin Shihuang was more suspicious by nature. There are 2 legends about the casting of 12 bronze figures.

There is a legend that one night Qin Shihuang dreamed that the sky was abnormal and unstable. At this time, a Taoist gave him some guidance and told him that casting 12 bronze statues would help him stabilize his country. So he cast 12 bronze figures based on the Yi Di people and erected them in Xianyang. In fact, I think it was because Qin Shihuang was not at ease when he first established his political power, and he had this strange dream because he was thinking about it day by day. After having the bronze statue guarding him, he felt relieved.

Another legend is that one day Qin Shihuang held a performance in the palace, in which an artist performed sword dancing skills. Qin Shihuang suddenly felt that there were too many people with weapons in the world, which would be detrimental to him. So Qin Shihuang announced to the world that all weapons should be collected and made into bronze figures.

In fact, in my opinion, no matter which legend it is, it is to consolidate one's own power. Our country has a vast territory, and there were many places that needed to be consolidated and improved in the early days of Qin Shi Huang's founding. Although it was a bit far-fetched to store weapons in this way, he finally achieved his goal. In a sense, it is similar to the fact that our country currently does not allow private collection of guns, both for the sake of national stability.