Country Guides to China

Visit the Terracotta Warriors

Widely regarded as one of China’s top three historical sites, the 2500 year old Terracotta Army have been amazing visitors since they were accidentally unearthed in 1974.

Widely regarded as one of China’s top three historical sites, the 2500 year old Terracotta Army have been amazing visitors since they were accidentally unearthed by a local farmer in 1974.

Whilst digging a well in fields not far from Xian, the farmer found pottery fragments, followed by the pottery torso of a man. This simple discovery prompted one of the biggest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century - the Terracotta Army guarding the tomb of China’s First Emperor.

The site is immense and contains over 7000 warriors and battle horses and, amazingly, each and every statue uncovered so far has a completely individual expression. The mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi and the Terracotta Army Museum are now among the most spectacular tourist attractions in China.

Now designated as one of the world heritage sites by UNESCO, each year millions of visitors from all over the world come to visit these extraordinary spectacles.

Hanyangling tombs »

Find out more about the Hanyangling tombs

The First Emporer »

Learn about Emperor Qin Shihuangdi

Slideshow »

View a slideshow of images.