The Terracotta Army in Xi'an, aka Terracotta Warriors and Horses, is a super large collection of life-size terra cotta sculptures in battle formations, reproducing the mega imperial guard troops of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210BC), the first emperor of the first unified dynasty of Imperial China.
Being the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Terracotta Army is no doubt a must-see for every visitor to Xi'an. The great archeological excavation of Qin (221BC-206BC) Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses unfolded a strong army of altogether 7,000 life-size pottery soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons arranged in battle formations symbolically, guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The grand Mausoleum of the first emperor of Qin and the warriors and horses buried in loess for over 2,000 years amaze every visitor there. Now the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Park was just built on the entire tomb site to offer more spots to enrich your Xi'an vacation.
Originally the ancient funerary project for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Terracotta Warriors China are now displayed in a live museum built on the site, officially named Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, showing the life stories of the emperor and the once powerful Qin Empire (221 – 207BC) in those days of pomp and vigor.
It contains 3 major pits tagged in the order of their discoveries and the Bronze Chariots and Horses Exhibition Hall.
Pit 1: the largest; found in 1974 and opened to the public on Oct. 1st, 1979. There is the vanguard in three rows followed by a massive battle array of infantry and war chariots.
Pit 2: found in 1976; 20 meters northeast of No. 1 Pit. It is the most spectacular one for the variety of divisions including infantry, crossbow team, cavalry, and 80 chariots.
Pit 3: found in 1976; 25 meters northwest of No. 1 Pit. It was the command post of the armed forces, with 68 warriors and a chariot led by four horses.