Qin Terra Cotta Warriors

In 1974, farmers digging a well east of Xi’an broke through the roof of a buried chamber and found a terracotta soldier’s head. Archaeologists arrived and eventually identified three pits containing approximately 8,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots, all buried beside the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China, who died in 210 BCE. Each figure has an individually modelled face. The original pigmentation that covered them faded within minutes of exposure to air during excavation, which is why a project currently underway is attempting to develop preservation techniques before any more figures are removed from the ground. About 2,000 figures have been excavated so far; archaeologists are in no hurry with the remaining 6,000.

Visiting

The museum complex is 30 kilometres east of Xi’an. Pit 1, a vast hangar-like structure covering about 14,000 square metres, has row upon row of soldiers in formation with viewing galleries along the sides. Allow at least an hour here; the scale reveals itself slowly and rushing it misses most of the point. Pit 2 contains cavalry, archers, and chariots with more varied formations and individual figures at closer range. Pit 3 is a command centre, smaller and representing the upper hierarchy.

The museum building holds two bronze chariots excavated near the mausoleum: extraordinarily precise castings assembled from multiple separately cast pieces, still impressing metallurgists as examples of bronze-casting technique at the limits of what the period’s technology could achieve.

Hire an English-speaking guide at the entrance. The official guides are licensed and cost around CNY 200; the site’s English signage is functional but limited in context. Arrive when the site opens at 8:30am; tour groups from Xi’an arrive in waves from 9:30am onward. Admission is around CNY 120 covering all three pits.

Xi’an

Roujiaomo (minced beef or lamb in a flatbread, around CNY 10 to 15): the correct Xi’an street food. Biang biang mian (hand-pulled belt noodles with chilli oil and black vinegar): the name has the most complex character in Chinese, which is the correct level of commitment to a regional noodle.

The Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie) in the evening, when food stalls are in full operation and the Great Mosque (Tang Dynasty, blending Chinese and Islamic architecture) is lit: the best two hours available in Xi’an that isn’t the warriors.

The Xi’an City Walls from the Ming dynasty (14th century) are among the best-preserved in China. Cycling the 14-kilometre circuit takes about 90 minutes.