TerraCotta Warriors and Soldiers Museum Xian
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Terra-Cotta Warriors and Soldiers Museum, Xian
One of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the last century occurred in March 1974, near the city of Xian in the north-central province of Shaanxi when the Terra-Cotta Warriors and Soldiers were found. The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. Xian and the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become a favourite tourist spot for travelers from all over the world.
Emperor Qin, surrounded by the famous terracotta warriors, at the centre of a complex designed to mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianyan was buried at this site. The purpose of the Terracotta Warriors was to protect the Emperor in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies".
The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.
No. 2 Pit, found in 1976 contained over a thousand warriors and 90 chariots of wood. It was unveiled to the public in 1994.Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976; It looked like to be the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses.
The historical records of the first century BC state that the tomb contained palaces and pavilions filled with rare gems and other treasures, and was equipped with crossbows to shoot automatically any intruders; the ceiling was inlaid with pearls to simulate the sun, stars and the moon, the floors and walls were lined with bronze to keep out water and mercury was pumped in to give the image of flowing rivers. , they are masterpieces of realism and also of great historical interest.
Today nearly two million people visit the site annually, and almost one-fifth are foreigners. The Terracotta Army now serves as an icon of China's distant past recognizable to the world over. The power and military achievement of the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang is evident in the massive and monumental achievements present throughout his tomb complex, most notably the 8,900(about) terracotta figures eternally serving to protect their leader.