Xi'an's Terracotta Army: A Complete Visitor's Guide

In 1974 a group of farmers digging a well outside Xi'an accidentally discovered the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century: a buried army of full-size terracotta soldiers, horses and weapons, created to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang — the first Emperor to unite China — in the afterlife.

The Three Pits

Pit 1 is the main excavation hall — 230 metres long, containing 6,000 figures in battle formation. The scale is extraordinary, but what surprises most visitors is the individuality: every face is different, every expression unique. No two soldiers are identical. Pit 2 contains cavalry and archers in complex formation. Pit 3 is the command centre — a smaller pit with officer figures and a bronze war chariot.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum

The emperor's actual tomb — under a large grassy mound 1.5 km from the warrior pits — has not been fully excavated. Ancient texts describe a world built underground: rivers of mercury, crossbow traps, a map of the heavens on the ceiling. Ground-penetrating radar confirms large underground structures. Archaeologists are waiting for technology that can preserve what they find before opening it.

Xi'an's Other Wonders

Xi'an was China's capital for 1,000 years and the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. The 14 km Ming City Wall (1370) is intact and can be cycled. The Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie) is a maze of spice shops, noodle restaurants and the Great Mosque — one of China's oldest — built in Tang Dynasty style. Order biangbiang noodles: the character for the noodle's name has 57 strokes and cannot be typed.