On the morning of December 5, 2013, upon the invitation of the Lintong District Government, the international superstar, former California governor of USA, Arnold Schwarzenegger came to visit and enjoy the "the eighth wonder of the world" - the Qin Shihuang Museum of Terracotta Army.

The Itinerary of His Visit to the Museum

Cao Wei, the museum director, and Liu Sanmin, Lintong District Governor and other relevant leaders welcomed the superstar in the guest reception room and greeted and held a brief ceremony in the reception room with him. Dean Cao Wei introduced the relevant situation of the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor to Schwarzenegger, and presented a special gift - Terracotta Army to the action star. Lintong District "pomegranate Fairy" also offered him a local specialty - fire crystal persimmon and soft seed pomegranate. After tasting them, Schwarzenegger repeatedly praised them with a smile.

When he came to Terracotta Army VIP channel to the Pit One, he was struck by the Terracotta Army Grand Army, and was very surprised by the impressive sight, especially when he learned that Qin Shihuang ascended the throne at 13 years old, dealt state affairs at 22 years old, and completed the China unity at the age of 38. Learning the Terracotta Army has 2200 years of history, Schwarzenegger exclaimed, "oh my God". Subsequently, he and his entourage also passed their cameras to the VIP channel staff to help them to snap some pictures. In order to obtain the best camera angles, and his entourage even passed the mobile phone to have a better view of Terracotta Army, asking them to help shoot. Schwarzenegger was very pleased to say "this time to visit the Terracotta Army has really completed my dream visit to China!"

What He Felt about His Visit
During the visit, Schwarzenegger showed a keen interest in the army, and he carefully listened to the commentator Jin Kai and discussed with him, and compared with the real exhibitions. When he saw the kneeling figurines and the soles of the feet on Pit Two, he even lifted the feet of his entourage, looked at their bottom line, saying: "Wow, they are really like our shoes!" During the visit to the Pit Two, Schwarzenegger was quite mesmerized by the bronze chariots and horses displayed in exhibition hall of the Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Museum. After the whole tour, he wrote: "thank you for letting me appreciate the eighth wonder of the world, I will be back".

With a visit to Xian, the Terracotta Army Museum has more than just the terracotta warriors to offer. Countless of other treasures on display in the museum are also worth exploring while visiting the Terracotta Army.

Bronze Chariots and Terracotta Horses

Alongside with the Terracotta Warriors dozens of bronze chariots and horses have also been discovered and displayed in the museum. Though damaged by the natural erosion and humidity these chariots and horses mainly made of wood, bronze and cast bullion are still very marvelous to the eyes and worth admiring during the visit to the museum. And they are very popular with visitors alongside with the Terracotta Warriors.

Bronze Crafts

Lots of bronze crafts are also unearthed and displayed in the museum, which, like the Terracotta Warriors, have also been buried underground for thousand years. These items range from swords, spears, scimitars, billhooks, halberds, curved knife to a large amount of crossbows and arrowheads. Despite being buried underground for thousand years, these treasures are still well preserved, glittering, sharp and new. This collection of weaponry is a great way to learn about the metallurgical technology used thousands of years ago. Some of the expertise the ancient artisans mastered may shock the world. Moreover a wide variety of bronze cranes, birds, wares have also been excavated and displayed in the underground museum. The most impressive would be those crane patterns which can be found in many palaces. The discovery of the cranes shows that the cranes like Chinese dragon played an important role in Qin Dynasty.

Terracotta Acrobatic Figures

In addition, lots of terracotta acrobatic figures are also found and displayed in the museum, which are all standing in acrobatic positions alongside with the equipments for performance. Although being buried underground about 2,000 years, the figures are well preserved, some of which are still wearing thick short skirts, and demonstrating various acrobatic positions, like wrestling, weight lifting, dancing and other performances. These terracotta acrobatic sculptures are a far cry from the solemn-looking Terracotta Warriors in terms of gesture, dressing and expression. There discovery of the acrobatic sculptures reflects the high levels of the arts and entertainments which prevailed during the Qin Terracotta Warriors.

To sum it up, the Terracotta Army and Horse Museum of Xian never stops surprising its visitors, and you could easily spend an entire day exploring the museum without running out of things to see.

Eighth World Wonder, Terracotta Warriors has been buried underground for over thousand years, and it is not until the 20th century that its veil was lifted.

Brief Information

The Terracotta Warriors Museum has long been hailed as the underground treasure house and an equal to the Pyramids in Egypt. It is believed that these warriors were created and buried in the mausoleum to guard the afterlife of the Emperor Qin. As early as in 1987, the UNESCO had included the Terracotta Warriors into World Cultural Heritage List. Nowadays, the site has been converted into a museum famous for the Terracotta Warriors - top tourist attraction in Xian and China.

Long-standing History

It was in 1974 that the Terracotta Warriors Site was first discovered by some farmers in the middle of digging a well. Ever since then, a series of excavations have been undertaken and the underground mausoleum of Emperor Qin was finally exposed to the world. As of the emperor himself, he is believed to be the mastermind of the construction of the mausoleum before his death. In addition, it is believed that he also played a key part in laying the foundation of the Great Wall. According to estimation, it took about 38 years to complete the mausoleum (between 247 BC and 208BC), and over 700,000 laborers were put into the grand project. The emperor himself deceased in 210 BC and his body was buried in the mausoleum after a series of ceremonies.

How to Explore the Museum
Up to this day, there are still a series of excavations undergoing in the museum. And there are three pits available for sightseeing. After getting inside the museum, for starters, you can catch a film which will walk you through how the Terracotta warriors site was unearthed. And after that, you can go ahead and visit the spacious shed which houses the three pits. Pit 1 is among the three pits the largest and well restored. In here you will see many Terracotta Warriors riding the war chariots as well as lines of warriors standing proudly across the pit. And then go on to see the other two pits.

With a trip to China, you just can't afford to miss a quick look at the Terracotta Warriors with a stop by Xian! A visit of the museum will be worthy of your money and time!