At Xian, China's first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, "protected" his burial place with an "army" of some 8,500 life-sized terra cotta warriors. That was 2,200 years ago. Over the centuries, the site was pillaged and the huge army was buried under many feet of soil. Eventually the site was forgotten. In 1976, a farmer was digging a well when he came upon part of a terra cotta figure. He notified the authorities. They explored. Little by little, they began unearthing dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of the long-buried soldiers.
The principal site is now protected by a huge building the size of several airplane hangers. The addition of other buildings for special displays, structures to protect outlying additional terra cotta discoveries (two of 'em), a museum, and various other service buildings (including a 360 degree Disney-style theatre) has made the site into a very complete tourist mecca. People travel from around the world (as we did!) to view this truly awesome place.
In Xian we visited: