Terracotta Army

8,000 clay soldiers guarding an emperor in the afterlife

In 1974 Chinese farmers digging a well found the head of a clay soldier underground. When they dug more — 8,000 soldiers, 500 horses and chariots! The first emperor of China had them made 2,200 years ago to guard his tomb. Every soldier has a different face — no two are alike! They were painted, but the colours vanished 4 minutes after meeting the air.

The Terracotta Army is part of the tomb complex of Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC), the first emperor to unify China, near Xi'an. Three pits hold 8,000 soldiers (1.8–1.9 m), 130 chariots and 670 horses — the structure of the real Qin army (infantry, archers, cavalry, officers). Each statue was assembled modularly (legs, torso, head separately) and then individualised by hand — 8 head moulds but endless faces; craftsmen signed their work (quality control). The bronze weapons were chromium-coated — unrusted after 2,000 years. They were originally brightly painted — the lacquer dries in air, so much remains unexcavated. The tomb mound (76 m) is unopened — Sima Qian wrote that it holds rivers of mercury, and soil mercury levels are indeed elevated. 700,000 workers built it over 38 years. A UNESCO site (1987).

Fun facts

• None of the 8,000 soldiers looks like another — every one is a 'portrait'.
• The bronze swords are still sharp after 2,200 years — they're chromium-plated.
• The emperor's tomb is still unopened — it's said to hold rivers of mercury.