The Terracotta Army秦始皇陵及兵马俑坑 · Bīngmǎyǒng — Qin Shi Huang's buried army
Some 8,000 life-size clay soldiers, each with a different face, buried in battle formation to guard the tomb of China's first emperor — and only rediscovered in 1974. It is one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made, on the eastern edge of Xi'an.
An army made to guard an emperor forever.
Qin Shi Huang (d. 210 B.C.), the first unifier of China, lies buried at the centre of a vast complex laid out to mirror his capital — surrounded by the famous terracotta warriors, discovered by well-digging farmers only in 1974. The figures are all different; with their horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces of realism and of enormous historical interest.
They were made on an industrial scale — bodies mass-produced in parts, then finished with individually modelled heads, and originally painted in bright colours that faded within hours of excavation. Real bronze weapons were placed in their hands. Thousands more figures are thought to remain unexcavated in the ground around the tomb.
The emperor's actual tomb mound, a short distance west, has never been opened. Ancient historian Sima Qian described an underground palace with rivers of mercury; soil tests have indeed found unusually high mercury levels, and archaeologists are leaving it sealed until they can excavate it safely.
The three pits, and the tomb beyond.
See the pits in reverse order — small to large — so you build toward the overwhelming Pit 1. Each is on the same ticket.
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Pit 1 一号坑
The vast main pit: rank upon rank of infantry in battle order under a hangar roof — the image everyone comes for, and best saved for last.On the ¥120 ticket · Tip go early or late to beat tour crowds
Pit 2 二号坑
Cavalry, chariots and kneeling archers, much of it left in situ mid-excavation — the pit that shows how the army was arranged.On the ¥120 ticket
Pit 3 三号坑
The smallest pit, read as the army's command post — fewer figures, but the officers and the layout reward a slow look.On the ¥120 ticket
Bronze Chariots 铜车马
Two exquisite half-size bronze chariots with horses and drivers, cast with astonishing precision — displayed in their own hall.In exhibition hall · Fee on the ticket
Shoulder seasons, at opening.
April–May and September–October are the most comfortable months in Xi'an. Whatever the season, arrive at opening (8:30) or in the last two hours — the pits are indoors and get shoulder-to-shoulder with tour groups from mid-morning.
Avoid midday and the October 1–7 holiday. Pit 1's viewing rail is a scrum when the tour buses land; the crowds, not the heat, are what spoil the visit. Early morning or late afternoon transforms it.
For foreign travelers.
- Book online with your passport before you travel — there are no ticket sales at the gate.
- Take a licensed guide or a good audio guide; without the story, the pits can feel like rows of statues.
- See the pits in the order 2 → 3 → bronze chariots → 1, so you finish on the most spectacular.
- Combine it with the Huaqing Palace and Lishan hills nearby for a full day out of Xi'an. See our Xi'an guide.