No historical record exists of the vast army of terracotta warriors buried near the town of Lintong, about 40km east of Xi'an. Built at the order of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first man to unite the warring fiefdoms of China into a semblance of its present shape, the army was intended to guard his tomb from enemies in the afterlife. Qin Shi Huang died in 210 B.C., after which the complex was sealed and covered, but the Qin dynasty itself was overthrown by the Han only a few years later. Presumably, the Han emperors wished to erase all memory of their predecessor...and given the tales of cruelty and ruthlessness that have come through the years, perhaps the local people were all too willing to put Qin Shi Huang's legacy behind them. For whatever reason, the terracotta army was forgotten for over 2000 years, until peasants digging a well in 1974 happened upon an extraordinary collection of artifacts. Further excavation revealed three separate pits of varying sizes, containing thousands of life-sized warrior models made of fired clay, or terracotta.
Most of the figures that have survived intact, as well as those that have been restored by archaeologists over the past three decades, are exhibited in the first pit, lined up in ranks facing east, as they originally stood when the tomb was constructed. The front part of the pit contains the complete figures, while further back are those that have been pieced together, as well as a team of horses and driver. The excavation is covered by an enormous airplane hanger-like structure with a walkway around the perimeter. Signs prohibiting flash photography are posted throughout the complex, but this rule was not being enforced when we visited. In the second pit, very little has been restored; indeed, most of the sagging wooden roofbeams are still in place, the figures presumably crushed figures beneath them unexcavated. In the few areas that have been cleared, the shattered statues have been left as they were found.
The disembodied heads and limbless torsos jumbled together are eerily reminiscent of modern combat photographs; one could almost imagine that a battle had actually taken place, that this was the wreckage of armies. Exhibition cases around the pit afford visitors a closer view of intact examples of the different types of figures found in the army, including a cavalryman with his horse, a kneeling archer, and a general in full official regalia. The third pit is much smaller and supposedly represents the headquarters area of the army.
Quite a few figures remain intact, as well as a team of horses positioned as though about to drive up the entrance ramp into battle. Also attached to the complex is a fairly good museum, exhibiting artifacts from the pits themselves, the nearby tomb of Qin Shi Huang, and other sites throughout the area. The highlight is two miniature (about half-sized) but intricately detailed, models of horse-drawn chariots that were found in Qin Shi Huang's tomb and have been painstakingly reassembled. Another particularly interesting exhibit is the collection of Tang Dynasty pottery figurines (people, animals, and several fierce-looking deities) glazed in the famous tri-color style.
Practicalities: Nearly all hotels and travel agencies in Xi'an run some version of the so-called Eastern Tour, taking in the tomb mound of Qin Shi Huang, Hua Qing Pool, and the Banpo Neolithic Village in addition the terracotta warriors. If all you want to see is the warriors, however, or if you detest the thought of being shepherded around by a flag-waving guide, bus 306 from the parking lot at the eastern end of the train station will get you there in a little over an hour and costs 7 yuan. Both buses and minibuses ply the 306 route, but if you do take a minibus, make sure that it is only going to the warriors—we almost got on one that was labeled 306 but traveled the full eastern tour route.
As one of the premier tourist attractions in China, the terracotta warriors site gets extremely crowded, so go as early as possible, especially if you are visiting in summer or on the weekend. The entry ticket is a very steep (for China, at least) 90 yuan...but I suppose they've pretty much got the market cornered! There is only one restaurant in the complex, and it is often booked up by tour groups, so eat before you go. Finally, though there are certainly plenty of opportunities to buy souvenirs (sets of miniature warrior replicas seem particularly popular), the hawkers have recently been restricted to the short stretch between the parking lot and the beginning of the path to the site; they are thus much less obtrusive than at many other major tourist areas.