Terracotta Army
兵馬俑
8,000 life-sized warriors guarding the First Emperor, the century's greatest find
Near Xi'an, the Terracotta Army guards Qin Shi Huang's tomb from c.210 BC. Over 8,000 life-sized figures, 130 chariots and 670 horse figures stand in three pits as a 2,200-year-old underground palace. Found by farmers in 1974, UNESCO inscribed it in 1987.
Best Season & Time
Comfortable 20°C, ideal before peak crowds; only morning yellow dust to watch out for at most.
★★★★★
Daytime over 35°C and exhausting; peak crowds with 2-3 hour waits, dawn arrival recommended.
★★★☆☆
Pleasant climate and reduced crowds; National Day (1-7 Oct) is to be avoided as the peak.
★★★★★
Below 5°C with crystalline air; quietest of the year, indoor pits unaffected by cold.
★★★★☆
Top 3 Highlights
1.6,000 Soldiers in Pit 1
Pit 1 (230 m × 62 m) holds over 6,000 infantry and general figures aligned facing east. Each figure is 180-200 cm tall with a unique face — hairstyle, armor and physique faithfully reproducing Qin army composition, the largest physical record of ancient military history.
From the Pit 1 viewing deck looking east at the full length right after morning opening
2.Individual Faces of 8,000 Warriors
All 8,000 warriors have distinct faces, identifiable by hairstyle, beards, attire and weapons by rank. Originally painted in red, blue, green and black, the colors mostly oxidized after excavation; the gray we see is 2,200 years of weathering.
Close on a high-ranking general at the front of Pit 1 in natural light
3.Bronze Chariots and Horses
Discovered in 1980, Bronze Chariots 1 and 2 are half-scale bronze chariots inferred to be the First Emperor's spirit-procession vehicles. Gold and silver inlay with 670 horse figures and 130 chariots show the apex of 3rd-century-BC Chinese bronze metallurgy.
Front of the Bronze Chariot Hall (Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum) through glass
Stories & Legends
Recommended For
Insider Tips
- 1.From central Xi'an it is 1.5 hours by metro plus bus, 100-150 yuan by taxi, or the most convenient is the Tour Bus 5 line with admission at 150 yuan including the Bronze Chariot hall, available same-day except on holidays when online booking is recommended.
- 2.The standard tour order is Pit 1, then Pit 3, then Pit 2, then the Bronze Chariot Hall; Pit 1 is busy in the morning but quieter in the afternoon, an inversion of the usual pattern, with 9am opening recommended for crowd-free photography in 3 hours.
- 3.Pit 2's active excavation is observable through glass during the visit, a rare experience watching archaeologists at work. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum (5 min by car) connects via shuttle for the complete World Heritage tour.
Visit Information
- Access
- From central Xi'an, take metro line 1 (30 min) plus Tour Bus 5 (30 min); direct taxi takes 1 hour for 100-150 yuan. About 1 hour by car from Xi'an Xianyang Airport.
- Time Required
- 3 hours for the three pits and Bronze Chariot Hall; half a day with the Mausoleum Museum.
- Budget Guide
- Admission 150 yuan (about 3,000 yen including Bronze Chariot Hall); audio guide 40 yuan; Xi'an city tours 300-500 yuan. (As of 2024.)
Nearby Attractions
Five minutes by car to the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum's main pavilion (central tomb mound view), 30 minutes to Huaqing Palace (hot springs and Yang Guifei legend), and an hour to central Xi'an (Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an City Wall, Muslim Quarter), completing the standard 'Xi'an World Heritage and ancient capital' loop.
Go Deeper
Deeper details for those with the time to read on.
Timeline
- 246 BC
Mausoleum begun
The 13-year-old Ying Zheng ascends the Qin throne and immediately begins his mausoleum, with 700,000 laborers across 38 years.
- 221 BC
China unified
Ying Zheng achieves Chinese unification and adopts 'First Emperor' (Shi Huangdi), expanding the mausoleum to its national scale.
- 210 BC
First Emperor dies
The First Emperor dies on a tour and is interred in the mausoleum; the Terracotta Army is buried with him as a guardian force.
- 206 BC
Xiang Yu's burning
During the Qin collapse, Xiang Yu's army loots and burns the tomb area; the wooden ceilings collapse and many figures break.
- 29 March 1974
Farmers' discovery
Local farmer Yang Zhifa of Xi'yang village in Lintong county hits pottery fragments while digging a well, China's largest discovery.
- 1976
Pit 1 excavation begins
Chinese government archaeologists begin large-scale excavation; over 6,000 warrior figures emerge from Pit 1, stunning the world.
- 1979
Museum opens
Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum opens to the public, with U.S. President Carter as the first foreign head of state to visit.
- 1980
Bronze Chariots found
Bronze Chariots 1 and 2 (half-scale bronze chariots) are discovered west of the tomb mound, the apex of 3rd-century-BC bronze technology.
- December 1987
World Heritage Site
UNESCO inscribes Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor on the World Heritage List as an early Chinese listing meeting four criteria.
- 2009-2010
Third excavation
Third Pit 1 excavation adds 200 more figures, with new color-fixing technology preserving some original paint as a milestone.
- 2010
New museum building
Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum's main hall opens at the tomb mound site, completing the visitor circuit network.
- 2024
Tourism peak
6 million annual visitors make it China's largest tourism icon; the First Emperor's tomb mound remains unexcavated by modern technology.
Detailed History
The Terracotta Army's history begins in 246 BC, when the 13-year-old Ying Zheng (259-210 BC, future First Emperor) ascended the Qin throne and immediately began his own mausoleum. Located 35 km east of modern Xi'an at the foot of Mount Li, the complex is one of the largest of ancient China — a 2.5 km × 2.5 km site with a central tomb mound 76 m tall and 350 m on each side. Construction lasted 38 years from 246 to 208 BC, mobilizing 700,000 laborers; work continued under the Second Emperor after the First Emperor's death in 210 BC. The Terracotta Army was placed 1.5 km east of the tomb in three pits — Pit 1 (6,000 main infantry), Pit 2 (1,000 archers, cavalry and chariot mixed force), and Pit 3 (68-figure command) — as a guardian army for the afterlife. Each figure was made from terracotta with a clay body, hand-carved facial features and attire, and painted with mineral pigments (red, blue, green, black, white) — all life-sized at 180-200 cm with individually distinct expressions. In 206 BC Xiang Yu's army during the Qin collapse looted and burned the tomb area, collapsing the wooden roof beams of the pits and breaking many figures. Buried for 2,180 years, the site was discovered on 29 March 1974 when local farmer Yang Zhifa from Xi'yang village in Lintong county hit pottery fragments while digging a well. Chinese government archaeologists began large-scale excavation in 1976, publicizing Pit 1 the same year and stunning the world. In 1980 the Bronze Chariots 1 and 2 (half-scale bronze chariots) were discovered west of the tomb mound, and Pits 2 and 3 were identified during 1976-1979. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum opened in 1979, and UNESCO inscribed 'Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor' in December 1987 (criteria i, iii, iv, vi). A third major excavation campaign in 2009-2010 added 200 more figures in Pit 1, with new color-fixing technology preserving paint. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum's main hall opened in 2010 5 minutes by car away. As of 2024, 6 million visitors come annually, making it China's largest tourism icon. The First Emperor's tomb mound itself remains unexcavated due to abnormally high mercury levels in the soil, consistent with Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (c.100 BC) describing mercury rivers and seas mechanically circulated inside.
Cultural Significance
The Terracotta Army is one of the 20th century's greatest archaeological discoveries, materializing the absolute power and precision craft of ancient China. UNESCO criteria (i)(iii)(iv)(vi) cite human creative genius, Qin civilization testimony, the supreme example of ancient Chinese mausoleum architecture, and Chinese civilization's universal value. The First Emperor (259-210 BC) was China's first unified emperor — creating the title 'Emperor', standardizing weights and measures and integrating the Great Wall — and the Terracotta Army materialized his absolute authority as the spiritual heart of Chinese state formation. Following 1978 Reform and Opening, it became a symbolic tourism resource, and in 1979 U.S. President Carter visited as the first foreign head of state (commemorating Sino-American normalization). Visits from Queen Elizabeth II (1986), Jacques Chirac (1978), Tony Blair (1998), and Obama (2009) made it 'China's calling card'. The 1987 UNESCO inscription was an early Chinese listing alongside Dunhuang, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. International touring exhibitions at the British Museum and Metropolitan Museum (2007-2008) broke attendance records, making it 'the world's recognizable Chinese heritage'. The unexcavated First Emperor's tomb mound remains a recurring Hollywood theme in Indiana Jones, National Treasure and similar films.
Architectural Details
The Terracotta Army comprises three large pits and the Bronze Chariot pit, 1.5 km east of the First Emperor's tomb mound (350 m × 350 m × 76 m). Pit 1 (230 m × 62 m × 5 m) is the largest with over 6,000 infantry and general figures aligned in 11 columns facing east — an estimated 8,000-soldier main force. Pit 2 holds a mixed force of archers, cavalry and chariots with over 1,000 figures. Pit 3 holds the 68-figure command unit. Each pit was an underground structure with a 5-m-deep earth pit covered by wooden ceiling and earth fill; Xiang Yu's burning collapsed the ceilings and broke many figures. Each figure stands 180-200 cm life-sized with face, attire and hairstyle individually distinct; originally polychrome but mostly faded after rapid post-excavation oxidation. The Bronze Chariots 1 and 2 are half-scale bronze chariots with gold and silver inlay showing the apex of 3rd-century-BC Chinese bronze metallurgy.
