In march 1974,when several farmers were sinking a well about 1.5 kilometers east of the first Qin Emperor's Mausoleum, they came upon many fragments of terracotta figures. The results of archaeological excavation showed that it was an oblong pit with terracotta warriors and horses. Again in 1976, two more pits were discovered 20 meters north of the former one respectively. They were then named pit 1, pit 2, and pit 3 by the order of discovery. The three pits cover a total area of 22,780 square meters.The new discovery stirred up a sensation all over the world. In order to provide the historical artifacts with adequate protection, a museum was set up on the site of pitl in 1975 upon the approval of the state council. Pit 1 covers an area of 16,300 square meters. The museum was officially open to the
public on October 1,1979. the exhibition hall of pit 3 was open to the public on september27,1989. the exhibition hall of pit 2 was completed and open to the public in 1994. the Museum of the first Qin Emperor's Terracotta Army, one of the top ten places of historical interest in China, was listed as the world heritage by the UNESCO about a decade ago.The terracotta warriors and horses in pit 1 are arrayed in battle formation. In the long corridor to the east end of the pit stand three rows of terracotta warriors facing east in battle robes, 70 in each, totaling 210 altogether.
Pit 2 is located 20 meters to the north of the eastern end of pit 1. the pit is L-shaped and consists of four different mixed military forces in four arrays. It is estimated that there are over 1,000 terracotta figures, 500 horse-drawn chariots and saddled horses.
