A must do when in China is to go out to Xi’an which is in the Shaanxi province and be blown away by the sight of the Terracotta Soldiers. At the moment China Tours are doing great deals on a one day tour to see this fascinating piece of history which you shouldn’t miss in your trip to China. There is so much to see and so much to learn in regards to this location that one has to see it for themselves rather than looking up pictures in textbooks and the internet.  You can easily access Xi’an flights from Beijing at great prices or even catch a train to get to this exquisite location.

For years there were always rumours about there being terracotta figurines of some sort as tiles and pottery have been dugged up but it wasn’t until 1974 when some local farmers discovered this rumour to be true. It was found approximately 1.6 kilometres away from the Qin Emperors tomb which is located at Lintong. With this find, archaeologists flocked to this site to see what else could be discovered. In 1975 the museum opened up for all to see the biggest terracotta find in China, which covers the size of 16,300 square metres. The site is made up of three sections which are known as pits, they are made up of different soldiers and horses in each one. All up there are up to 7,000 terracotta figurines to see and be amazed by.

What you will see will be life sized soldiers assembled in battle formations and every soldier is unique and has their very own facial characteristics, which is amazing. Each arm and leg, torso and head were made separately and then assembled together. Also with the discovery of the soldiers, horses and chariots, bronze weaponry was also discovered which are made up of swords, spears, arrow heads, crossbows and dagger-axes. Considering these weapons were buried for roughly 2,000 years they are still in perfect condition, even the edges are still sharp.

This area is now a major tourist destination and is very accessible from the airport. There are also shuttles from Lishan Garden to the Terracotta Warriors, which are in fact for free. In 2010 it was declared the site to be known as Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Park which also includes smaller areas being discovered in relation to the pottery figurines. Lishan Garden should also be a part of the list to see whilst you are there. One can see the grave mound of the Qin Tomb, subordinate tombs and two museums at the same time. It is predicted that one can see the Terracotta site within four hours but it would be better off to spend the whole day and definitely include Lishan Gardens, would hate to think of missing out on anything.

The Terracotta Soldiers should definitely be in the top five sights to see and experience when planning a trip to China. This is one of the greatest discoveries in the 20th century and everyone should go experience this great location. Enriched with so much history of the Qin Dynasty and the fascinating individualistic soldiers one cannot say no.