The Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang is located 1.5 kilometres east of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Lintong District, Xi’an. It houses the sacrificial pits of the mausoleum. Discovered in 1974, the site was developed into a large-scale museum and opened to the public on National Day in 1979.

The grandeur of the Terracotta Warriors has captured the world’s attention. It has received heads of state from numerous countries and millions of Chinese and foreign visitors. Former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, who had toured many famous scenic spots worldwide, couldn’t help but exclaim when descending the steps of the pit to the excavation site: “There are Seven Wonders of the World, and now the discovery of the Qin Terracotta Pit can be called the Eighth Wonder.” When visiting, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew happily gave a thumbs-up and said: “This is a wonder of the world and a pride of the nation.” Overseas tourists traveling to China often share this sentiment: “Visiting China without seeing Xi’an is like not visiting China at all; seeing Xi’an without seeing the Terracotta Warriors is like not seeing Xi’an at all.” This reflects the unique status of the Terracotta Warriors in the global tourism market.

It was once believed that the development of Chinese sculpture art differed greatly from that of Europe. The ancient Greek and Roman sculptures that Europeans take pride in were nowhere to be found in Chinese art history. Pre-Qin sculptures were simple and naive, and it was only after the introduction of Buddhist culture that Chinese sculpture formed its artistic style — highly generalized, with concise lines, romantic in style, decorative in emphasis, and more focused on spiritual resemblance than realistic depiction. However, the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors astonished art historians at home and abroad. Here lies the peak of ancient Eastern realistic sculpture from 2,000 years ago, filling a missing page in Chinese art history. The breathtaking artistic power of the Terracotta Warriors stems largely from their magnificent formation and overwhelming momentum — a unique example of group sculpture. In contrast, the artistic charm of ancient Greek sculptures lies in their exquisite craftsmanship and flawless perfection.

Opened in 1979, Pit 1 is the largest of the three pits. It is a rectangular pit oriented east-west, measuring 210 metres in length, 62 metres in width, and 4.5 to 6.5 metres deep from the original ground surface, covering an area of 14,260 square metres. Inside the pit, there are 10 rammed-earth partition walls, each 2.5 metres wide, creating a layout of nine bays facing north-south, surrounded by a corridor.

To date, more than 1,000 terracotta warriors, 8 chariots, 32 terracotta horses, and nearly 10,000 bronze artifacts of various kinds have been unearthed. Based on the density of the unearthed warriors, it is estimated that Pit 1 contains over 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses in total.