How To Visit the Terracotta Army In Xi'an, China

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Going to see the Terracotta Warriors is like having something like the Taj Mahal or the Great Pyramid on your bucket list for the longest time and to be able to cross it off sounds trivial but what you’re often not prepared for is just how massive and incomprehensible an ancient wonder like this actually is when you see it in person.

I’m going to try to my best to describe our first day in Xi’an and the visit to the Terracotta Warriors Museum (also known as Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum). Despite all the “ooh”s and “wow this is amazing”s, it really was our private guide, Michael, that completed the experience for us. His retelling of stories, crystal clear picture of the history and careful pointing out of little fine details made us feel like Terracotta Army pros when we finished.

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Want to pick up a bit of Mandarin before you go?

Rosetta Stone Mandarin is a great online language program that simply works. I’ve used it to learn Japanese as well and it’s great at getting you right into everyday language instead of being stuck on the nuances of grammar and rules.

Here's what we're covering:

A Day Visit to the Terracotta Army
Lost In Translation
Tips for Visiting the Terracotta Army in Xi’an
Day Trip to Visit The Terracotta Army Itinerary

A Day Visit to the Terracotta Army

The word Terracotta actually derives from an Italian word which means “baked earth”. What astounded me the most during my visit was the magnitude of Emperor Qin’s mausoleum and how each soldier had to be meticulously and uniquely crafted.

It also fascinated me how the despite the Chinese never talked to the Egyptians, both civilizations had similar ideas of the afterlife and an Emperor wanting to be buried with treasures, entertainers, officials and an entire army.

Entrance

From the parking lot there’s a 10 minute walk to the main entrance to the complex. It’s a nice stone winding path that looks recently done to improve the landscaping. Contrast this to the way out that we took which was entirely different with a bombarding of souvenir shops and restaurants.

Once in the Terracotta Warriors Museum, you really don’t see much except the buildings for Pit #1, Pit #2 and the building that houses the bronze chariots.

tour group walking to visit the terracotta army in xian china — Michael giving us an overview of the complex and some of its history.

Turn a bit to the right and you have Pit #2 (left) and Pit #3 (right). — Turn a bit to the right and you have Pit #2 (left) and museum that holds the bronze chariot (right).

Pit #1

Cue the dramatic music. The first pit was by far the most exciting and heart-stopping of our entire tour of the museum. As the first pit to be discovered, the building that covers over it is much older but has the largest collection of terracotta warriors assembled in battle formation.

Fun facts that’ll blow you away:

Not a single soldier was found intact in this pit.
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, warlord Xiang Yu found out about the tomb and raided the pits for their weapons and set the area ablaze. Since the pits were protected by wooden beams across the columns, those burned to cinders and collapsed on the soldiers below.
Every year they can only reassemble 20-30 soldiers. With a total of 6,000 warriors in this pit, it’ll take 200 years to finish it all.
There’s paint on every single one of these soldiers to start with but because of oxidation they disappear in minutes so most of them have been left in the ground to preserve the colors. That being said, Johnson & Johnson has developed some sort of lotion that’ll help preserve the paint so they’re slowly starting to incorporate that technology in.
Every soldier’s face is different.
The horses of this dynasty were a lot smaller because these ones came from Mongolia. Subsequent dynasties brought on much larger stallions from outside the kingdom.
To keep the tomb a secret, all the craftsmen that sculpted these soldiers were killed thus none of the art was passed on to later generations.
For the longest time, farmers knew there was something in this area but were always spooked off because of superstitions.

Walking up to the entrance of the oldest and largest excavated pit of soldiers.

Once you enter in the pit, it's pure sensory overload as you try to make sense of the scale of the columns and columns of soldiers. — Once you enter in the pit, it’s pure sensory overload as you try to make sense of the scale of the columns and columns of soldiers.

Soldiers upon soldiers in columns. Pay close attention to how each of the soldier’s faces are crafted differently, the clothes their wearing (and lack of armor), how their hair is tied and how they’re holding to since stolen weapons. These were Emperor Qin’s vanguard soldiers.

Thank goodness for Michael because he was able to clear a space for us in the front and explain to us everything we were looking at. We would've missed almost all the details if it wasn't for him. Check out these soldiers upclose. All heads were designed to removable and the bodies were actually completely hollow. Horses behind survived but the wooden chariots did not. — Thank goodness for Michael because he was able to clear a space for us in the front and explain to us everything we were looking at. We would’ve missed almost all the details if it wasn’t for him. Check out these soldiers upclose. All heads were designed to removable and the bodies were actually completely hollow. Horses behind survived but the wooden chariots did not.

Yep people started getting impatient after spending too much time at the front and eventually we got squeezed out. It goes in ebbs and flows so eventually you should be able to find a spot against the railing.

A closer look at the vanguard soldiers lined up at the front of the pit as we made our way around the corner.

Again the scale of this place is enormous.

This spot marks the site where the farmers back in March 1974 dug to discover what we call today as Terracotta Warriors. You’ll meet one of them a little further down below.

A look back at the pit entrance and the crowds that hover over.

Emperor Qin had one big army for the afterlife. The crazy thing is they've only unearthed 1000 so far out of the 6000 in this one pit. — Emperor Qin had one big army for the afterlife. The crazy thing is they’ve only unearthed 1000 so far out of the 6000 in this one pit.

Every step of the way, Michael made sure he pulled us away from the hoards and found a quiet place to explain to us the history and significance of various details like how if you look closely on some of the raised columns there are holes where farmers used as burial grounds. He also pointed out that chariot commanders were significantly skinnier than the common soldier etc. SO MUCH to take in.

You'll notice that the back half of the pit is largely unearthed and this is because they realized that once you dug up a soldier and was exposed to oxygen, the organic paint on the soldier would disappear in a matter of minutes. This pit you're looking at they actually refilled back in after learning this fact. They're waiting until there's technology to preserve that paint to reopen these areas. — You’ll notice that the back half of the pit is largely unearthed and this is because they realized that once you dug up a soldier and was exposed to oxygen, the organic paint on the soldier would disappear in a matter of minutes. This pit you’re looking at they actually refilled back in after learning this fact. They’re waiting until there’s technology to preserve that paint to reopen these areas.

The back half of the pit is dedicated to the reassembly of soldiers. You have to understand that this is ridiculously hard work as archeologists have to figure out what pieces belong to which soldier which are typically found in piles and then they have to piece each one together like a 3D puzzle.

So this is interesting. They're diligently putting the right pieces together for each soldier instead of just jamming pieces that seem correct. Because of how painstakingly slow it is they can only do 20-30 soldiers a year. This means that it'll take roughly 200 years to finish this whole pit. Yeah...wow. — So this is interesting. They’re diligently putting the right pieces together for each soldier instead of just jamming pieces that seem correct. Because of how painstakingly slow it is they can only do 20-30 soldiers a year. This means that it’ll take roughly 200 years to finish this whole pit. Yeah…wow.

All the reassembled warriors lined up to be placed back in their original spot.

Pit #3

The back side of Pit #1 directly led us into Pit #3.

The scale of the third pit is dramatically smaller but housed in an enclosed and I would say more modern “museum-esque” facility, it was interesting to see a completely different layout. Archeologists speculate that this pit was meant to be the command headquarters for the other two pits.

What was interesting in Pit #3 was the guard formation in the various corridors.

For some reason most of the heads are missing in Pit #3. Nobody really knows why.

Souvenir Shop Fun

After Pit #3 we took a break and headed to the souvenir store. While we didn’t buy any of the ridiculously expensive replicas on sale, we did get to meet one famous farmer. We also had a chance to pose with our very own warriors.

One of the farmers that discovered the site is now on celebrity duty, signing expensive tourist books.

I don't know how that got there. — I don’t know how that got there.

Pit #2

While Pit #2 may not rival the first one in terms of the number of combined warriors what I liked most about this one was that it gave us a closer look at the archers and their formation of one group nocking and the second group shooting. Most of the site has been left unexcavated but you get a more complete view of how the wooden beams were laid out after completion of this pit.

This being a more modern pit also has an exhibition hall where you can get up close with real samples of soldiers and weapons from the pit.

Pit #2 is actually very large, featuring an large L-shape site with complex battle formations but most of it is not fully excavated. Those waves that you see below are remains of the wooden beams that were laid above the clay warriors.

What was unique about Pit #2 was how they had a mini museum component to it. Here, you're looking at the only complete archer found here and through some of that special lotion I talked about earlier, you can see original paint still on him. — What was unique about Pit #2 was how they had a mini museum component to it. Here, you’re looking at the only complete archer found here and through some of that special lotion I talked about earlier, you can see original paint still on him.

Pit #2 gave us interesting insight into archer formations and what sites like these typically look like when first unearthed.

Bronze Chariots Museum

There is one large building completely dedicated to the prized bronze chariots discovered in an encased wooden box in 1980. It took two and a half years to restore them and eventually they were put on display here. There are two of them and this one below was meant to be a chariot for the Emperor’s family.

The remaining building of the musuem of the one that houses the Bronze Chariot. The place was packed so we just did a quick walk through. This was the only bronze chariot that has survived and represents some of the earliest surviving fine Bronze works of that age. — The place was packed so we just did a quick walk through. These are the only bronze chariots that have survived and represents some of the earliest surviving fine Bronze works of that age.

Banpo Neolithic Village and Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an

After spending a good 4 hours at the Terracotta Warriors Museum which was mostly my doing because I was SO SLOW at taking photos and video, we left at 2PM and made our way back into Xi’an to have lunch, explore the Banpo Neolithic Village and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda area.

So this whole time I thought we'd be able to see Emperor Qin's actual tomb but you see they haven't opened up that area yet. It's completely fenced off and we were only able to grab a glimpse of this mound from the car as we left the town. One day perhaps although it might be something left unexcavated. — So this whole time I thought we’d be able to see Emperor Qin’s actual tomb but you see they haven’t opened up that area yet. It’s completely fenced off and we were only able to grab a glimpse of this mound from the car as we left the town. One day perhaps although it might be something left unexcavated.

The hottest food sensation in Xi'an - Biang Biang Noodles. Michael told me beforehand that these noodles would be as thick as my belt. They weren't joking. — The hottest food sensation in Xi’an – Biang Biang Noodles. Michael told me beforehand that these noodles would be as thick as my belt. They weren’t joking.

After lunch we arrived at the Xi'an Banpo Museum in the city. — After lunch we arrived at the Xi’an Banpo Museum in the city.

Step up to the actual site of the neolithic village remains which opened in 1958.

Probably should have come here before going to Terracotta Warriors but it was interesting to learn about the matriarchal society that lived here 6,000 years ago. In this time, women ruled the community.

View of Big Wild Goose Pagoda with statue of famous monk Xuanzang in front. I was really impressed with the square they've built here in XI'an. — View of Big Wild Goose Pagoda with statue of famous monk Xuanzang in front. I was really impressed with the square they’ve built here in XI’an.

They even have a brand new monorail that runs through this whole neighborhood.

What you'll find with Xi'an is that they love their street food. Tons of restaurants line the streets with outdoor seating. — What you’ll find with Xi’an is that they love their street food. Tons of restaurants line the streets with outdoor seating.

With their love for street food is the presence of meat skewers EVERYWHERE.

Lost In Translation

These are always fun to spot in China. The below is a sign we saw in an elevator with some interesting stick figure warning signs.

Tips for Visiting the Terracotta Army in Xi’an

Prices
- Terracotta Warriors Museum = 150 RMB (Mar – Nov), 120 RMB (Dec – Feb)
- Banpo Neolithic Village Museum = 65 RMB (Mar – Nov), 45 RMB (Dec – Feb)
Private Guide
- Again, I was so glad we had Michael (details can be found in our entire journey in China) to take us around. Not only was he incredible knowledgable about the history but he was also completely accommodating in our request to not do any tourist traps. In fact, he told us where to stay away from and when I wanted to buy a few magnets, he was able to tell me exactly how much they were actually worth. He was also really good with the roads so he knew all the shortcuts to help shave off time to get to and from Terracotta Warriors Museum. Michael’s English was also the best of any guide I’ve had in China.
Terracotta Warriors Museum
- Allocate the most time at Pit #1. Pit #2 and #3 aren’t as spectacular but still worth the time to explore.
- Don’t waste time taking photos in those paid stores you find in Pits #2 and #3. Instead, head over to the souvenir store and there you’ll find a bunch of life-sized soldiers you can pose with in front of a fake background of Pit #1.
- Regarding the buying of Terracotta Warrior replicas – The prices at the museum are ridiculously high. While they do provide an actual certificate and supposedly use the same sand as the real soldiers to create the clay, I didn’t think it was worth the money. Instead, wait until you get to the Muslim Quarter back in Xi’an and do some hard bargaining there. For a medium size warrior (8″ ish), the museum was selling them for close to $50 while we got ours in the market for around $10 USD. Even in the market though, they started off at 210 RMB and we worked our way down to 80 RMB for a pair.
Banpo Neolithic Village Museum
- We barely spent an hour here. While it was interesting to learn the history of these neolithic remains of their dwellings, it was vastly less impressive than the Terracotta Warriors. That being said, Michael said it made more sense to do this afterwards since the big tour buses will typically try to do this in the morning on their way up to Terracotta. I’ll defer to Michael’s judgement on this one.

Day Trip to Visit The Terracotta Army Itinerary

Pick up some street vendor food outside of our hotel in the morning
Picked up by Michael at 8:45 AM
1 hour journey to the district of Lintong (Usually it takes 35-40 minutes by car but took longer because of highway construction)
Start exploring the Terracotta Warriors Museum from 10:15 AM – 2PM
Eat lunch at a local noodle restaurant to try Biang Biang Noodles
Banpo Neolithic Village
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Dinner at a local restaurant near our hotel
Accommodations: ibis Xi’an Bell Tower East Hotel

For more on the rest of this trip throughout China where we start in Shanghai and work our way up to Xi’an, make sure to read the full itinerary that chronicles our journey to see the Terracotta Warriors starting from Shanghai.

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