Terracotta Soldiers
This is part of the Terracotta Army of over 8,000 figures that were built in the 2nd century B.C. under the direction of Emperor Qin, the first Emperor of China. He is the same Emperor who also supervised most of the construction of the Great Wall of China.
The soldiers are life size and it is estimated that over 700,000 craftsmen worked on the project, taking 40 years to complete. The terracotta figures were discovered in 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well. This collection is now considered the most significant archaeological excavation in the 20th century.
You are looking at Pit #1, the largest of three pits. Pit #1 contains over 6,000 figures. In order to better protect this historical treasure, a building was put over the #1 pit to form a vast exhibition hall, large enough to hold two football fields inside.