Made up of 6,000 life-size clay soldiers, chariots, horses and warriors, the Terracotta Warriors were created to protect Qin Dynasty emperor Qin Shihuang in the afterlife. They are one of the most significant cultural discoveries of the past century, so put on your fedora and grab your bullwhip (I know you have one!) for this archaeological excursion, then it’s off to Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Tomb to learn about the man they were meant to protect. It’s a crash course in Chinese history, old and new!
8:00 a.m. Xi’an downtown hotel pickup
9:00 a.m. Terracotta Warriors (Bīngmǎ Yǒng, 兵马俑) (about 3 hours)
The highlight of any Xi’an tour and one of the world’s top archaeological finds, the Terracotta Warriors were accidentally unearthed by peasants in 1974. Here you’ll see over 6,000 life-size Qin Dynasty-era terracotta soldiers, chariots and horses, an army designed to protect Qin Shihuang, China’s first emperor, in the afterlife. This impressive site is located to the east of his tomb. It’s one of the more recent culturally significant finds and this is a great chance to see them.
12:00 p.m. Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Tomb (about 30 minutes)
Located at the foot of the Li Shan (Mount Li) lies the tomb of China’s first Emperor—Qin Shi Huang—whom the Terracotta Warriors were built to protect in the afterlife. Today, however, there’s not a whole lot to see, aside from the burial mound.
1:00 p.m. Lunch at a local restaurant
2:00 p.m. Return to hotel