Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor aka The Terracotta Warriors

So, in 1974, a local farmer was digging a well, and up came a ceramic head.  The actual site of the well is on the right side of this picture.  Lo and behold, it became the archeological site known as the Terracotta Warriors.

These "pits" were a mini-version of the Emperor's Imperial Palace.  In this picture, is the ramp into pit 3, which experts have concluded to be an officers quarters.

Unlike the tomb of Jing Di, which showed what life was like in that time,  the tomb of the Qin Shi Huang is all about military protection into the after life.  Horses are at the ready.  All men have a military purpose.

Here in Pit 2 (of 3) you can see how the excavators are removing layer by later.

Here's the famous pit 1.  Notice how the warriors are lined up in rows between earthen walls.  This is how they were buried, basically as battalions to protect the Emperor in death.

This is how the pieces are found upon excavation.

In looking at the amount of detail and the slow pace of excavation, I realized there is NO WAY I could do this kind of work.

At the back of Pit 3, they are reconstructing warriors, piece by piece.  There are estimated to be 8,000 warriors in this part of the overall mausoleum.  The actual tomb of the Emperor is some 2 kilometers to the West.  There is still SO MUCH underground.

There are five main warrior types, but this one is my favorite, the Kneeling Archer.  I find him so regal.

For 10 RMB you can take a picture with some warriors.  Why the other three didn't take advantage of the offer?  I don't know.