Terracotta Army

Synopsis

The Terracotta Army in Xi'an is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site featuring over 8,000 life-size terracotta soldiers buried with China's first emperor, hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Overview

The Terracotta Army (兵马俑, Bīngmǎ yǒng) is one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in human history — a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE, these figures were created to protect him in his afterlife.

Discovered on March 29, 1974, by local farmers digging a well in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, the Terracotta Army was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, alongside the Great Wall and the Forbidden City as one of China's most important cultural landmarks.

The Terracotta Army pits are located approximately 1.5 kilometers east of the Qin Emperor's tomb mound, with the entire necropolis covering an area of about 98 square kilometers. According to the historian Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), construction of the mausoleum began in 246 BCE when the 13-year-old Ying Zheng ascended the throne as King of Qin. The project eventually involved approximately 700,000 conscripted workers.

The Terracotta Army Museum is one of China's most visited tourist attractions, receiving millions of domestic and international visitors each year. Together with the nearby Huaqing Pool and Mount Li, it forms the most important cultural tourism zone in Xi'an.

Discovery & History

On March 29, 1974, farmers Yang Zhifa, his five brothers, and neighbor Wang Puzhi were digging a well approximately 1.5 meters below the surface when they discovered terracotta fragments. This prompted Chinese archaeologists, including Zhao Kangmin, to investigate, ultimately revealing the largest pottery figurine group ever found in human history.

According to the 6th-century geographer Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Water Classic (Shui Jing Zhu), Mount Li was chosen as the burial site because "its northern side was rich in gold, and its southern side rich in beautiful jade; the first emperor, covetous of its fine reputation, therefore chose to be buried there." Sima Qian wrote that the emperor was buried with palaces, towers, officials, valuable artifacts, and wondrous objects — with 100 flowing rivers simulated using mercury, and the ceiling decorated with heavenly bodies above a miniature landscape of China's unified territories. Modern scientific analysis has indeed detected abnormally high levels of mercury in the tomb mound's soil, lending credibility to Sima Qian's ancient account.

The Excavation Pits

Four main pits have been uncovered, all located approximately 1,500 meters east of the burial mound, at a depth of about 7 meters.

Pit 1 is the largest, measuring 230 meters long and 62 meters wide, containing more than 6,000 terracotta figures forming the main army. It has eleven parallel corridors, each over 3 meters wide, paved with small bricks and supported by large wooden beams and posts. Pit 1 was enclosed in a museum hall and opened to the public in 1979, serving as the primary visiting area.

Pit 2 covers approximately 6,000 square meters and contains cavalry, infantry units, and war chariots, thought to represent a military guard force. Pit 2 features a more diverse range of figure types, including kneeling archers, standing archers, cavalry figures, and chariot warriors.

Pit 3 covers about 520 square meters and served as the command post, containing high-ranking officers and a war chariot. Its layout is shaped like the Chinese character "凸" (convex), functioning as the command center overseeing Pits 1 and 2.

Pit 4 is empty, apparently left unfinished by its builders.

Estimates from 2007 suggest the three pits contain more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remain buried. Beyond military figures, archaeologists have also discovered non-military terracotta figures in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.

Figure Characteristics

The terracotta figures vary in height according to their rank, with the generals being the tallest. Each figure has unique facial features, indicating they were modeled after real individuals. Originally, all figures were painted in vivid colors including red, green, blue, and purple. However, upon excavation, the lacquer coating began to curl within 15 seconds of exposure to Xi'an's dry air, with the paint flaking off within just four minutes — which is why most figures now appear in their natural earth color.

Many of the weapons carried by the figures were real bronze weapons, including swords, dagger-axes, spears, and crossbow triggers. Remarkably, many of these bronze weapons remain sharp to this day, demonstrating the advanced metallurgical technology of the Qin Dynasty.

Practical Information

Cultural Significance

The Terracotta Army has been hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. It not only demonstrates the formidable military power and superb craftsmanship of the Qin Dynasty but also serves as crucial physical evidence of ancient Chinese imperial burial practices. Former French President Jacques Chirac famously remarked: "One has not truly been to Egypt without seeing the pyramids, and one has not truly been to China without seeing the Terracotta Army."

The underground palace of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum remains unopened, primarily due to concerns about artifact preservation. Upon excavation, the painted surface on terracotta figures curls within 15 seconds in Xi'an's dry air and flakes off within four minutes. Scientists are developing better preservation technologies, hoping that one day the secrets of the underground palace can be explored intact.

The discovery of the Terracotta Army transformed global understanding of ancient Chinese civilization, proving that over 2,000 years ago, China possessed highly developed organizational capacity, craftsmanship, and military systems.

References

1. Wikipedia - Terracotta Army
2. UNESCO World Heritage - Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
3. Baidu Baike - 兵马俑
4. Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum Official Website
5. The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Terracotta Army