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       The Terra Cotta Warriors
              

           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,       Lintong
County, 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 work begun on 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 Xi'an 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 Terra Cotta Warriors
              
                  The State Council authorized to build a museum onsite in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to 
       visit. Xi'an and the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all travelerstinerary.
                  
                  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.
                   
                  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.
                  The Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a sensational archeological find of all times. It has put Xi'an on the map for 
        tourists. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages.
              Admission: ¥ 65
 
 
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