Xian is home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors Army and Horses, one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. There are a couple of burying sites, where 7,000 of these life-sized figures were constructed to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb.

Features of Terracotta Warriors

It takes a drastic method to create a Terracotta Warrior, starting with the molding of the legs, body and arms and then fixing them together. Working on tiny details to express different characters and mental states, Qin's artisans went to great length to make the warriors look like the real ones. Every single warrior's eyes differ from one another. For example, canny warriors were created with graceful eyebrows and eyes; brave soldiers with wide and staring eyes; simple and honest soldiers with a big head, wide face, bushy eyebrows and big eyes. In general, the warriors with squinty eyes and tender smile show their confidence to win the war, while the one with wide open eyes like in a fury show their hate toward the enemy. The soldiers looking down are supposed to be the one shy and quiet; the one looking forward have eyeballs in the center of the eyelids while the one looking up have eyeballs titled up slightly.

Exhibition Hall of Terracotta Warriors

Three enormous pits are filled with row upon row of these remarkable effigies, with the first pit alone holding some 6,000 examples in excellent condition. There is a fourth exhibition space which holds other pieces found here, including bronze horses and chariots. Since the excavation among the three pits, over 7,000 terracotta soldiers, horses, chariots and even weapons have been unearthed; most of them were restored to their former grandeur. Differing from any other in terms of facial features and expressions, clothing, hairstyle, and gestures the Terracotta warriors are a treasure of civilization showing how China was already one of the most advanced civilizations of its age about 2,000 years ago. All kinds of military ranks can be found in the pits: horsemen, longbow bearers, archers, senior officers and generals…positioned in strict accordance with the ancient Art of War. They truly are a marvel for the eyes of the visitors.

All these terracotta figures transport travelers to another world, to the time of Ancient Warring States when Emperors, kingdoms and wars where all about it. Emperor Qin Shihuang's Army and Horses are a treasure of ancient civilization, a treasure for the Chinese people.