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Photo: Army of terra cotta Warriors in Xian
Known as the Eighth
Wonder of the World, the life-sized colorful
terra cotta warriors and terra cotta horses in
Xian at the Qin Shihuang Museum in Xian are famous
for their magnificent battle formation and excellent
sculpture art at home and abroad, and have been
included in the UNESCO world heritage list. The
vivid terracotta warriors and horses are an ancient
art treasure and a complete illustration of the Qin
dynasty art. This Qin Vaults of Terra-cotta Warriors
and Horses is located 40 kilometers east of Xian and
are attendant vaults 1.5 kilometers away from the Qin
Shihuang Mausoleum and is the most famous tourist
attraction in Xian.
 There are actually
three main vaults that houses this magnificent works
of art in Xian. Vault 1, discovered in 1974, is about
14,260 square meters and has over six thousand colorful
warriors and horses of terra-cotta arranged in
rectangular battle formation.
What you can see
here are three rows of warriors that make up the
vanguard, mostly crossbow and longbow bearers,
and are followed by the main body of the army,
thirty eight rows of armored troops holding
spears, dagger-axes and other long-shaft weapons.
Vault 2, excavated in 1976, is smaller and occupies
about 6,000 square meters and houses about one
thousand terra-cotta soldiers and horses.
Vault 3 measures only
about 500 square meters and is considered as the
headquarters or command post for the troops of the
other two vaults. A war chariot and sixty-six terra
-cotta guards can be seen here. This place is one
of the most visited historical sights in China and
the unique thing about the terracotta army is that
every soldier differs in facial features and expressions.
Opening times:
8.30am to 5.30pm
Admission: 65 yuan
Location:
Lintong District
Transport:
Visitors may get on public bus Nos. 306 and 307
or on a one-day tourist bus from the Xi'an
Railway Station.
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