Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses

兵马俑; Bīngmǎyǒng

This mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses, found in three vaults, is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction of Shaanxi and one of the most popular in all of China. An in-site museum has been built over these pits, covering a floorspace of 20,000 m² and housing 8,000 lifelike terracotta warriors, 100 or so chariots, and 40,000 weapons, allegedly crafted to replace actual human sacrifices that had been commonplace in previous dynasties. Not all of these are on display, and the site is still an active archeological dig. There are 3 pits (numbered and clearly signposted 1,2,3). Going from pit 3 to pit 2 to pit 1 means that each pit gets more impressive and ensures a grand finale. The assemblage has been billed by the tourist industry as the Eighth Wonder of the World and a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. The ticket office is next to the parking lot, which is a 5- to 10-minute walk away from the entrance to the museum. Buy your tickets at the ticket office or you can also buy them from resellers at the entrance for a ¥5 fee. For ¥5, you can opt to take a small bus from the ticket counter to the entry to the site, which saves you about 10 minutes of walking. On the way back, however, you are forced to walk in order not to "miss" the countless opportunities to buy small terracotta warriors, other tourist articles and food. When buying your ticket you are likely to be approached by a 'guide', especially if you look foreign. The normal asking price is ¥200 (per person) but you should be able to bargain them down to around ¥75-100. ¥100 is reasonable for the 2 - 3 hours they will accompany you. When talking to them, take the time to evaluate how they speak, because if you can't understand them at the start it'll just get worse. Inside Pit 1 there is a 'photo spot' to the left of the entry when you can be escorted to one of the nicer places. However it costs ¥200 for ~15 min (but includes a picture). You won't miss much by not doing it, but you wi

• museum
• outdoors

Getting there

a short distance away from the Qinshihuang Mausoleum, it is the last stop of bus (5)306/307, which can be boarded at the main train station (to the right as you face the station); if there is a long queue, or on the way back, look for private bus companies who also service the route to Bingmayong for about the same price (¥7 or 8)

Hours

Closed · opens 8:30 am

Weekly hours

Mon	8:30 am–5 pm
Tue	8:30 am–5 pm
Wed	8:30 am–5 pm
Thu	8:30 am–5 pm
Fri	8:30 am–5 pm
Sat	8:30 am–5 pm
Sun	8:30 am–5 pm

Price

¥120, students ¥60 (only for local students). Passport required for ticket purchase

Website

bmy.com.cn (opens in a new tab)