The 1,000 terra-cotta soldiers, chariots, and horses were made, then buried with the first great emperor, Shi Huangdi, of the Qin Dynasty, a little over 2,000 years ago.
Up until this time, it was commonplace for live soldiers, concubines, and others to be buried alive in the tombs of deceased emperors.
Emperor Shi Huangdi is credited with ending the practice of live burial and replacing it with replicas symbolically guarding royal tombs.
The terra-cotta soldiers and horses, along with hundreds of other works of pottery and art, were accidentally uncovered in 1974 by a local farmer digging a well.
Today he is sometimes found in the gift shop of the museum that’s located in the foothills of the Lishan mountain, about 20 miles east of Xi’an.
He’ll give you an autograph and let you take his picture for a price.
