The Terracotta Army is one of the few sights in the world that was found by chance by peasants digging a well. Today it is attraction number one on the list of reasons to go to Xi’an, and one of China’s most recognisable symbols alongside the Great Wall. We have worked out how the complex is arranged, what to see first and how to plan a trip there from the city.
How it was found
In March 1974 peasants of the village of Xiyang, digging a well 1.5 km from the burial mound of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, came across fragments of a terracotta figure. The excavations that began soon after the find turned into one of the main archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: an entire underground army turned out to lie beneath the earth, standing guard for more than two thousand years. One of the peasants, Yang Zhifa, lived to the status of a local celebrity — for decades he signed books for tourists right in the museum complex.
Why it was built
The Terracotta Army is part of the burial complex of the first emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC). Construction of the mausoleum began in his lifetime and, by various estimates, took about 40 years and the labour of hundreds of thousands of workers. The idea was straightforward by the notions of the time: an army of clay was to guard the emperor in the afterlife just as a real army guarded him in life.
An important detail that surprises many tourists: the emperor’s tomb itself has still not been excavated. What is shown to visitors — three pits with warriors, discovered in 1974 and later — is only part of the guarding complex, not the grave itself. Chinese archaeologists deliberately do not touch the mound: the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian wrote in the “Records of the Grand Historian” about rivers of liquid mercury imitating China’s rivers inside the tomb — and modern soil measurements above the mound do record an abnormally high concentration of mercury. Until there are technologies that guarantee the safety of possible finds on opening, excavation of the tomb itself has been postponed.
Who Qin Shi Huang was
The man for whom all this underground host was built is a figure almost legendary even by the standards of Chinese history. Ying Zheng ascended the throne of the state of Qin at 13, and by 39 had united the warring kingdoms under his rule, creating a single China for the first time in history, and took the title Qin Shi Huang — “the first emperor of Qin”. During his short reign (unification in 221 BC, death in 210 BC) he managed to standardise writing, coinage, measures of length and weight and the gauge of cart axles, to begin the construction of the first defensive walls in the north — direct predecessors of the future Great Wall — and at the same time became notorious for an extremely harsh Legalist rule: mass forced labour, the burning of unwanted books and the execution of scholars who criticised the regime.
There is also a bitter irony in his biography: obsessed with the idea of immortality, the emperor took mercury potions for years that court alchemists passed off as an elixir of eternal life — it is believed that chronic mercury poisoning was the cause of his death at 49, during another inspection trip around the empire.
How the figures were made
Despite the apparent individuality, mass production of the figures was well organised: bodies, arms and legs were cast and assembled from standard modular parts in the manner of an assembly line, while heads were modelled and finished by hand, adding individual facial features, hairstyles and expressions. That is why, with generally repeating body proportions, no face in the army literally resembles another — an effect that would have been hard to achieve with fully hand-modelling each figure whole, and at the same time impossible to get with purely template casting.
After assembly the figures were fired and painted with bright mineral pigments — red, green, purple — and also armed with real bronze weapons: swords, spears, crossbows. Some of the original weapons have survived in surprisingly good condition thanks to the chromium coating of the blades — a technology that was officially patented in the West only in the 20th century.
The scale: how many warriors there really are
Initial estimates gave about 8,000 figures, but excavations are still continuing, and the final number may turn out to be larger. Each figure is not a template: the faces, hairstyles, armour and even the footwear of the warriors are individual, which leads researchers to suppose that real people were used as prototypes (although there is no single opinion on this question). Originally all the figures were brightly painted — the paint has almost completely flaked off and faded over centuries underground and breaks down especially quickly on contact with air right after excavation, so many new finds are today deliberately left partly preserved in the soil until more reliable methods of preserving colour appear.
The three pits: what to see first
Pit No. 1 is the largest and most impressive, the very view with ranks of warriors in battle formation that everyone has seen in photographs. A hangar the size of several football pitches, thousands of infantrymen lined up in phalanxes. If time is limited, go here first and allow the most time for it.
Pit No. 2 is smaller but more interesting in terms of variety: cavalrymen, archers, chariots and officers of various ranks stand here. Part of the pit has been deliberately left unexcavated — you can see what the figures look like before clearing, which gives an idea of the scale of the original excavations.
Pit No. 3 is the smallest, considered the command post: there are fewer warriors here, but it is this pit that shows the command structure of the ancient Chinese army.
Besides the three pits, on the grounds of the complex there is a separate museum where finds in better condition are displayed — including the famous bronze chariots at 1:2 scale found next to the mound itself rather than in the three main pits.
| Pit | What is inside | What to pay attention to |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | infantry in battle formation, the largest pit | the most impressive overall view, the most time is worth allowing here |
| No. 2 | cavalry, archers, chariots, officers of various ranks | part is deliberately left unexcavated — the original state of the find is visible |
| No. 3 | the command post, the fewest figures | the command structure of the ancient army, a compact visit in 10–15 minutes |
| The museum of finds | bronze chariots at 1:2, weapons, ornaments | the best preservation of exhibits and original colouring |
How to get there from Xi’an
The complex is located about 40 km east of the centre of Xi’an, at the foot of Mount Lishan. The most budget option is bus No. 306 (sometimes marked as tourist line 5) from the square by the Bell Tower or from Xi’an station; the journey takes about an hour. A taxi or a DiDi order is faster and more convenient for a group of 2–4 people, and the one-way cost is usually noticeably lower than a full organised excursion. Most hotels and hostels in the city also offer group bus tours with a Russian- or English-speaking guide — the overpayment is reasonable if you want detailed historical context and not just the sightseeing.
Tickets and when to go
Tickets can be bought online in advance (through Trip.com or official Chinese booking services) or on the spot — in high season queues at the ticket office can take up to an hour, so buying in advance spares you extra time in line. The price of a standard entrance ticket is usually in the range of 120–150 yuan, an audio guide or a human guide costs extra.
The complex works all year round, but attendance fluctuates greatly: the peak is China’s May and October national holidays (crowds can be literally shoulder to shoulder at Pit No. 1), the calmest are weekdays in the shoulder season, November–March outside holidays. It is best to arrive for the opening, around 8:30 in the morning — tourist buses from the city usually arrive later, and the first hour in Pit No. 1 can be spent relatively freely.
Take the weather into account too: in summer Xi’an is dry and hot (often above +35°C), and the complex itself is mainly open spaces between the pits under direct sun, so water and a hat are a must. In winter it can be cold and windy, but it is in winter, outside holidays, that it is calmest in terms of crowds.
How much time to allow
Seeing all three pits and the museum with the bronze chariots usually takes 2–3 hours at a leisurely pace, with a guide or a good audio guide closer to 3–3.5 hours. Many combine the trip with neighbouring sights on the same day.
What to see nearby
Huaqing Palace — on the way from the centre of Xi’an to the Terracotta Army, imperial hot springs and a park complex, also known as the place where the key events of the 1936 Xi’an Incident took place.
The Banpo Museum — a site of a Neolithic culture about 6,000 years old, showing a completely different layer of the region’s history, for those who want to vary the day with something other than the imperial period.
Many organised tours already include Huaqing in a one-day route together with the Terracotta Army — it is worth checking when booking.
Myths and misconceptions
“The Terracotta Army is the emperor’s tomb.” No, it is only part of the guarding complex on the approaches to the burial mound — the mound itself with the emperor’s body has still not been opened.
“All the warriors are identical, there are just many of them.” No — this is one of the most frequent myths among those who have seen only general photographs from afar. Looked at closely, faces, hairstyles, moustaches and expressions differ in almost every figure, although the bodies were assembled from standard modular parts.
“The complex has been fully excavated and you can see everything.” No — excavations are still continuing, half a century after the first find, and part of the territory (including the mound itself) is deliberately untouched because of the lack of reliable technologies for preserving finds on opening.
“UNESCO status means everything is shown to tourists here.” The site was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1987 precisely as an archaeological monument, not an attraction — hence the strict limits on photography, access beyond barriers and souvenir control on the grounds.
Practical tips
- You may take photographs, but without flash in some zones (especially where remnants of the original colouring survive) — observe the signs.
- Touching the figures and stepping behind barriers is strictly forbidden — this is not just a polite request but a protected UNESCO site with cameras and guards.
- There are English captions, but the detail of the explanations falls far short of a guide’s — if historical context matters, an audio guide or a live guide is justified.
- Shoes for long walking — the grounds of the complex are large, and between the pits you have to walk in the open air.
- The souvenir exit after the visit is arranged so that it is physically impossible to pass through it without meeting dozens of stalls with copies of warriors — take it as part of the experience rather than as pushiness aimed at you personally.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that the emperor’s tomb itself has not yet been excavated? Yes — only the three pits with warriors and adjoining finds like the bronze chariots have been excavated. The burial-mound mausoleum itself has not been opened because of the risk of damaging its possible contents and for safety reasons (a high concentration of mercury in the soil above the mound).
How many warriors are there really in the Terracotta Army? The initial estimate is about 8,000, but excavations continue, and the final number may change. Part of Pit No. 2 is deliberately left unexcavated.
How much time is needed for a visit? On average 2–3 hours for all three pits and the museum of bronze chariots, with a guide up to 3.5 hours.
When is the best time to go to avoid the crowds? Weekdays outside China’s May and October national holidays, arriving for the opening around 8:30 in the morning.
Are all the figures different? Yes — with the standardised assembly of bodies from modular parts, the heads were modelled and finished by hand, so faces, hairstyles and expressions are individual in almost every warrior.
Were the figures originally painted? Yes, brightly — in red, green, purple and other mineral pigments. The paint has been almost completely lost over two thousand years underground and breaks down quickly on contact with air right after excavation, so some finds are left preserved in the soil.
Can I combine the trip with other sights in one day? Yes, many tours combine the Terracotta Army with Huaqing Palace and its hot springs — this fits logically into one day on the way from the centre of Xi’an.
See also: the Shaolin Monastery in China, China’s high-speed trains, night markets in China.
Xi’an hotels: all hotels · by the Bell Tower.
