The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.

Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archeologists immediately. They came to Xian in droves to study and to extend the digs. They had established beyond doubt that these artifacts were associated with the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC).

The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. The Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all visitors' itinerary.

Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.

The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.

No. 2 Pit, found in 1976, is 20 meters northeast of No. 1 Pit. It contained over a thousand warriors and 90 chariots of wood. It was unveiled to the public in 1994.Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976, 25 meters northwest of No. 1 Pit. It looked like to be the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses.

Terra cotta army stand in battle array.

Our Tour Group to Terra-cotta Warriors

Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur.

Since Oct. 1st, 2010 the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have been combined into one large attraction area, Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Park, which also includes three other small sites opened in 2011. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the nearby three unopened sites (namely the Museum of Terracotta Acrobatics, the Museum of Terracotta Civil Officials and the Museum of Stone Armor) constitute the so-called Lishan Garden. Besides, 30 free shuttle buses have been available for visitors' convenience to travel between the Lishan Garden and the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses from then on.

Kneeling Warrior

Bronze Chariot and Horses

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is a sensational archeological find of all times. It has put Xian on the map for visitors. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages.

Pit 1   The Third Excavation of Pit 1   Pit 2   Pit 3    Accessory Pits   Lifelike Terra Cotta Figures   Green-Faced Terracotta Warrior   Dressing of Terracotta Warriors	Bronze Chariots and Horses    Bronze Cranes & Acrobatics Figures   Exquisite Weaponry of Terra Cotta Army   Military Formation of Terracotta Army    Qin Terra Cotta Artisans   From Rudiment to the Masterwork   Stories of Terracotta Warriors  Related link: Terracotta Warriors Sale
Recommended Tours including the visit to Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses: One Day Tour: to visit Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, City Wall 4 Days Xian: to Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Famen Temple (or Mt. Huashan) and more  More Xian Tours

Admission Fee:	CNY150 (March 1 - end of November) CNY120 (December 1 - end of Februay) The fare is for the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Park Through Ticket including the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Lishan Garden and shuttle buses inside the scenic area.
Guide Services:	There are guide service and audio guide machine that need extra charges.
Ticket Selling Hours:	Sell ticket from 08:30 to 17:00 (March 16-Nov.15), stop check-in at 18:35;  Sell ticket from 08:30 to 16:30 (Nov.16-March 15), stop check-in at 18:05
Transportation:	From Xian Xianyang International Airport: Visitors can take Airport Shuttle Line 2 to Xian Railway Station. The bus departs every hour from 10:15 to 19:15 at 1F of T2 and the ticket costs CNY 25. After, take tourism bus no.5 (306), bus no.914, 915 and get off at the final station. Visitors can also hire a taxi from the airport. Remember to take the legitimate green colored taxies and the fee is about CNY 200. Please make it clear to the taxi driver that you only go to the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and refuse to go to other scenic sites including souvenir shops. From downtown Xian: Take tourism bus no.5 (306) from the east square of Xian Railway Station or 307 from the south gate of Tang Paradise. The whole journey takes about one hour. From Lintong District: Take bus 914, 915 or Speical Line 101 and get off at Terracotta Warrior Museum. The whole journey takes about 15 minutes. Getting Around: 30 shuttle buses are traveling between the Museum of Qin Terra cotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum for tourists' convenience. One can take them for free by showing the entrance ticket.  Operating hours: 08:30-18:30  Xian Bus / Subway Search
Recommended Time for a Visit:	Three hours

 New Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit Open in Houston!
On March 28th, 2012, the exhibition themed Warriors, Tombs and Temples: China’s Enduring Legacy, made its second and final stop at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (the first stop is the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California). It was such a blockbuster that over 1 million visitors have viewed the extraordinary exhibition. The museum displayed 120 sets of precious cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221BC - 207BC), Han Dynasty (206BC – 220AD), and Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). The exhibit showed a distinguished terra cotta warrior whose face was painted green. Its color was perfectly conserved, showing excellent ancient painting and conservation technologies. The most astonishing and unexpected terra cotta warrior was the one that can move! It was a terra cotta warrior played by a performance artist from Taiwan. The exhibition came to a climax when he walked out of the immobile terra cotta warriors unexpectedly, shaked hands and took photos with the audience, creating the effect of reaching out across time and space. The exhibit was finished on September 3, 2012.