Terra Cotta Warriors is the underground Museum of Gigantic Army . This place was opened to the public in 1979. It is the world-famous museum that is constructed on the site of its findings. The main exhibits of the Museum of the Terracotta Army are three exposed pits with clay warriors and horses as well as the hall of the two bronze chariots and horses. Approximately 8,000 clay warriors and horses, more than 10, 000 bronze weapons have been found in the pits. The museum describe a treasure house of Qin Dynasty’s military affairs, science and technology, art and culture. It has been listed as an UNESE “World Heritage Site”.
About Terra Cotta Warriors.
The Terra-cotta Warriors Museum is located in the east of Lintong County- 37 kilometers away from Xi’an, with Lishan Mountain in the south and Weishui in the north. At present, it is the national key unit of preservation of cultural relics.
The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the Emperor of Qin (Shi Huangdi) in 209-210 BC (his reign over Qin was from 247 BC to 221 BC and unified China from 221 BC to the end of his life in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huang Di in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies". Some people think that the army was also built for protection.
According to the historian Sima Qian (145 BC-90 BC) construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and involved 700,000 workers. Sima Qian, writing a century after its completion, wrote that the First Emperor was buried with palaces, scenic towers, officials, valuable utensils and 'wonderful objects', with 100 rivers fashioned in mercury and above this heavenly bodies below which he wrote were 'the features of the earth'. Some translations of this passage refer to 'models' or 'imitations' but in fact he does not use those words.
The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well to the east of Lishan (Mount Li). Mount Li is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man-made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.
Warriors
Terra Cotta is oblong: 230 meters east to west, and 62 meters north to south. At a depth of five meters, it is cavern-like and constructed from earth and wood. Five slopping entrances reach down to it from the east and west. Ten partitioning walls separate the underground army into different columns. The walls are reinforced by stout beams, which are covered by reeds and earth. The floor is paved with black bricks. There are more than 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses in Pit No. 1, marshaled into battle line formation. Three columns facing out on the east act as vanguard. Each squad is 70 strong, making it 210 troopers altogether. They flank out left and right on the south and the north. The rear guard is on the west. They are armed with crossbows.
Two large scale-models of bronze chariots came unearthed in December, 1980, about 20 meters east of Emperor Qin's mausoleum. They were tagged Chariot No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. These were encased in a wooden box measuring 6.8 x 2.1x 2 meters for over two thousand years. And the box was buried 8 meters down in a trench. The trench runs 7 meters east to west, with a width of 2.3 meters. They were thought to be half the actual size and were supposed to serve as the vehicle for the emperor's inspection tours in his afterlife. The colorful square carriages are decorated with geometric and cloud patterns. Coachmen armed with swords guard the chariots on both sides.
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