In 1974 some farmers were digging a well when they suddenly broke through into a manmade pit. The discovery immediately caught the attention of archeologists and they soon identified it. It was the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. Emperor Qin wanted to take his wealth and power with him to the afterlife, and for that he needed his army. So he built an entire army of terracotta warriors, men and horses both, and buried them with him.

The Museum of the Terracotta Warriors is both an active excavation site and a tourist attraction. Built in 1975, it covers 16,300 square meters divided into three pits, and houses a total of eight thousand ninety nine statues. Each statue is completely unique. The soldiers’ faces and clothing are all completely different, and their armor and postures differ according to their rank, including infantrymen, officers, archers and more.

The time, energy and resources required to make this army were colossal. All this effort nearly went to waste when the tomb was looted and burned by general Xiang Yu shortly after Emperor Qin’s death. Much of the tomb was destroyed, but the army survived and spent the next two thousand years underground. Unfortunately, most of the statues were broken after the pits collapsed during the looting. Restoration work is ongoing, and most of the statues have been pieced back together and placed in their originals positions, though without their weapons.

Unfortunately, since they’ve been uncovered the statues have not escaped further damage. They were once brilliantly painted, but the paint quickly oxidized once the tomb was opened and the color has faded completely from most of them. In addition, they’ve been infected with some kind of mold. There’s a big of an argument as to the cause – some think it’s caused by the heat and moisture of the building in which the statues are housed, and some blame soot and chemicals produced by nearby coal burning factories. Parts of each of the three pits have been recovered with earth to prevent the statues which have yet to be restored from being further damaged.

The Museum of the Terracotta Warriors is famous all over the world, and the exhibits are all in both Chinese and English. You can buy replicas of the statues, from tiny three-inch statues to full sized ones, all over the city of Xi’an. Be aware though that unless you buy them at a government accredited shop, they may not have been made to the same high standards as the originals.

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