Terracotta Army, Xian

When three farmers went out to dig a well back in 1974, you can bet your bottom dollar that they weren’t expecting to come across a frozen army of thousands lurking below the earth’s surface. But boy, what a find the Terracotta Army was. In fact, some would even say that it was the best archeological find of the whole 20th century. Now that’s impressive.

Not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but considered the honorary eighth wonder of the world, Xian’s star attraction consists of numerous underground vaults that home distinct army ranks moulded from clay, each with unique features and all poised for battle alongside their cavalry horses – that come complete with chariots, obvs. Although originally painted in bright colours, over 2,200 years of standing silent watch has taken its toll. Today, the figures form a mighty mass of dusty grey and one that you wouldn’t mess with, that’s for sure.

“But why are they there?”, we hear you ask. Well, they guard the tomb of the rather superstitious first Emperor of the Qin dynasty, intended to not only serve him in the afterlife but to be an immortal marker of his greatness on earth – if elaborate mausoleums are on your bucket-list, you’re in for a treat with this one. And, to give him his due, Emperor Qin actually was rather great. Ruling from 246 BC until his death in 210 BC, he was a man who unified China and standardised the written language so that it could be understood across the country. But, like many, he had his downfalls and his was that he was a ruthless leader. In fact, many of the 720,000 people who aided the creation of his vision were killed in order to protect the secret location of his tomb. Ouch.

Say hello to one of the greatest insights into ancient China that we have today.