Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors in China is the Eighth Wonder of the World, which are indeed spectacular.Jacques Shirac, president of France, once said: "One can't claim to have visited China unless one has seen these terracotta warriors." It is an absolutely incredible sight. If you close your eyes and listen, you can hear the soldiers breathing, the horses snorting and pawing the ground with their hooves, the generals barking out orders and the wind blowing through the valley. So lifelike, they appear to be flesh and bone under a thin veneer of potters clay.

Examples of such figurines have been shown on five continents, thus arousing keen interest in the terracotta warriors. A report in the United Evening News of Singapore said that all leaders from other countries who visit Beijing find it a great pleasure to go to Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, and see the terrocotta warriors.

People must wonder why Qin Shi Huang, the emperor who founded the Qin Dynasty in 221 B.C., use so many large terracotta figurines as funerary objects.During the Shang and Zhou dynasties (16th to 3rd centuries B.C.), slaves were buried alive with the slave-owners and aristocrats when they died. The number of such slaves immolated depended on the status of the deceased.This practice aroused indignation among the people of Qin. Duke Xian banned this practice when he ascended the throne of the State of Qin in 384 B.C. While still regarding slaves as chattels, the slave-owners had to replace burying slaves alive with using figurines as funerary objects.

The museum totally covers an area of 14,000 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.

At the entrance of the museum, you face a huge modern structure right ahead. It is the Pit No. 1, which is the largest of the three pits, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. Terra Cotta Pit No. 1 is oblong: 230 meters east to west, and 62 meters north to south. It covers 14,260 square meters and contains 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses.There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back. The impressive sight of the figurines lined in neat formation grips the spectators with grandeur and magnificence and capture their admiration.

The first three rows consist of warriors clad in war robes facing the east. They are followed by 38 columns each consisting of warriors, horses and chariots and also facing the east. The north and south corridors each contain a row of figurines in war robes, facing the north or the south. The west corridor houses three rows of warriors, one row facing the west and the other two rows facing the east. The format shows that the three rows of warriors in the front form the vanguard while the 38 columns are the main force of the phalanx. The warriors in the north, south and west corridors serve as the outpost troops. This imposing phalanx, which impresses viewers with its mighty force, provides a glimpse of the Qin army in destroying all rival states and unifying China.

At a depth of five meters, it is cavern-like and constructed from earth and wood. Five slopping entrances reach down to it from the east and west. Ten partitioning walls separate the underground army into different columns. The walls are reinforced by stout beams, which are covered by reeds and earth. The floor is paved with black bricks. There are more than 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses in Pit No. 1, marshaled into battle line formation. Three columns facing out on the east act as vanguard. Each squad is 70 strong, making it 210 troopers altogether. They flank out left and right on the south and the north. The rear guard is on the west. They are armed with crossbows.

Behind the vanguard marched eleven columns of regulars, 38 rows deep, interspersed with war chariots. You could distinguish their ranks from their uniforms and the type of arms they are carrying.

Pit No.2 covering 6,000 square meters and containing 1,400 figurines, consists of four small formations arranged in an L shape. The second excavation occurred in May of 1976 and unveiled to the public in 1994.It is 20 meters northeast of No. 1 Pit. It is 64,000 square feet in area. Pit number two differs greatly from the first pit. The battle formation was square.Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur. This pit contains sixty-four chariots. It has divided groups which include infantrymen, cavalrymen and even commanders to guide the troops. This display of soldiers gives insight into the work that went into the Chinese army. Long distance battles had to be fought by using many chariots. The facial expressions of the men in this pit are also very different from those men in the first pit.

Pit No.3, covering 520 square meters and containing 68 figurines, is the site of the army's command post. Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976, 25 meters northwest of No. 1 Pit.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 terracotta warriors here are somewhat different from those in Pits No.1 and No.2 and posted as guards. The three pits lie in the pattern of a pyramid, one of them on the south and the two others on the north. Some experts suggest that the three pits form an integrated whole, which symbolizes the imperial army guarding Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum from its east side. The reason is obvious because the conquered states were all lying east of Qin.
Set of figures in Pit No. 1 includes: Large body of troops from the left wing marshalled in battle order.

Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.

The terracotta warriors in the museum look much the same at the first glance, because their shapes and costumes are similar in conformity with the designs for the military formations. But closer scrutiny reveals the differences in the details of their complexions, expressions, ages, hair styles and beards. Anker Joergensen, prime minister of Denmark, commented: "The terracotta warriors are so vivid and look differently from each other."

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century.It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.