# Museum of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qinshihuang (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆)

Xi'an, Shaanxi Province · Northwest, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/museum-of-the-terracotta-army-of-emperor-qinshihuang
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥120
- **Opening hours:** Daily ticket sales and admission 8:30–17:00, museum closes at 18:30 (March 16–November 15); daily ticket sales and admission 8:30–16:30, museum closes at 18:00 (November 16–March 15 of the following year)
- **Time needed:** 2–3 hours
- **Getting there:** From Xi'an North Railway Station, take the metro to Municipal Library (metro station), then transfer to the direct shuttle to the Terracotta Army scenic area. From Xi'an Railway Station, take a bus to Shijia Street (bus stop) and transfer to the direct shuttle to the Terracotta Army scenic area. Visitors travelling between the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army Museum and the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang can ride the free tourist shuttle bus. From Textile City hub station, take Tourist Bus Route 5.
- **By car:** Follow the Xi'an–Tongchuan Expressway for 24 km to reach Lintong District. Continue for 3 km to the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, then drive a further 4 km to reach the Terracotta Army Museum.
- **Good for:** History & Culture

## About Museum of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qinshihuang

Standing before the Terracotta Army, the irresistible astonishment, fascination, delight and emotion that every attentive visitor feels is the highlight of any trip to Shaanxi. Nowhere else in the world has so many soldiers stood waiting for you for so long.
Today the Terracotta Army Museum covers more than 20 hectares. Pit 1 covers 16,000 square metres and Pit 2 more than 6,000 square metres. A comprehensive exhibition building of over 17,000 square metres has been built over Pit 2 and serves as the main exhibition venue. Hall 1 in particular displays about 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses. Along the walkways you can still see the black traces left when Xiang Yu's army set fire to Xianyang. The figures are vivid and lifelike, with well-proportioned and accurate bodies, and no two are alike. The sculpting is meticulous: even the stitching on the soles of the cloth shoes is evenly spaced, and the hair, beards, belts and the subtle expressions at the corners of the mouths, some angry and some smiling, make it feel as though you are facing an ancient army frozen by magic.
The 360-degree cinema screens a film of several dozen minutes that outlines the process of the Qin unifying China and then falling. The scenes are grand, especially the thousands of troops fighting all around you in 360 degrees, which makes you feel as if you are right in the middle of the battle. It is a pity the sound quality is poor, which seriously undermines the sense of presence. However, the film is screened on a continuous loop, so you don't have to worry about missing a showing.

## Tips from the guidebook

- Visiting the Terracotta Army
- 1. You can book online and enter by scanning your ID card directly.
- 2. The bronze chariots and horses are worth seeing, so try not to miss them.
- 3. There are many guides inside the museum. You can join a group or simply listen in for free; the guides' commentary is quite good.
- 4. Vendors outside the Terracotta Army sell many inexpensive fruits, so you could buy some persimmons and pomegranates.
- 5. Boxed terracotta warrior replicas sold by vendors outside the museum gate cost ¥30 per box; in the nearby pedestrian street they cost ¥10 per box.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 649. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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