Eight thousand,ranks intact,an hour before the gates.
Forty kilometres east of Xi'an, an army the First Emperor took to his grave.
The terracotta army of Qin Shi Huang, eight thousand life-sized soldiers, archers, cavalry, charioteers, was buried in 210 BC and rediscovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well. Three pits, more than half still under earth. Most tours arrive with the 10 am surge from Xi'an and shuffle the railings of Pit One for twenty minutes. Our home ground is Xi'an; this is the visit our team built first.
The army,
the way we run it.
Early access
Pit One, almost alone.
We're at the museum gate at opening, our pre-booked entry already in hand. Twenty-five minutes inside Pit One before the bus tours arrive, enough to walk the full length of the front rank with no one between you and the parapet.
Pits Two and Three
The unfinished story.
Pit Two is where the cavalry and archers stand, and where the colour pigment still survives on some figures. Pit Three is the command post. Both are quieter than Pit One; our guide walks you through what's been excavated and what remains buried.
The bronze chariots
And a long lunch.
The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum holds the two bronze chariots, half life-size, still functioning, the most intricate ancient bronzework in China. After the museum, lunch at a Shaanxi house restaurant we've used for six years. Hand-pulled noodles, cold dishes, two pots of tea.
Our home ground,
our direct access.
- Direct museum partnership at the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum. We hold the early-entry slot before public opening, most tours can't.
- Our Xi'an guides are licensed warrior specialists, not generic city guides. Two of them have published on the site.
- Our drivers are our own Shaanxi Zebra company employees, trained to our standard. Not a platform contractor.
- No jade factory, no 'cultural performance', no shopping detour on the way back to Xi'an. Written into our service standard.
A half day, properly,
or a full day if you'd like the mausoleum.
Most parties spend three hours at the site, early entry, all three pits, the bronze chariots, then lunch at our house restaurant, back in central Xi'an by 2:30. Some pair the morning with the actual mausoleum mound twenty minutes away, where the First Emperor is buried (still unexcavated). Either shape works; we tell you which one fits your interest before you book.
The rest of
Shaanxi, all within reach.
Xi'an's City Wall
Back in Xi'an by mid-afternoon. The 14-kilometre Ming wall, we'd send you up at dusk.
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Huaqing Palace
Twenty minutes west of the warriors. The Tang imperial hot springs, same half-day, both sites.
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Huashan
Ninety minutes east of Xi'an. One of the five sacred mountains. A different rhythm, but the same Shaanxi stay.
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Xi'an, sketched,
by reply
tomorrow.
Tell us a month, a party size and an honest budget. We'll come back with a Shaanxi draft, early entry secured, lunch booked, the wall and Huaqing routed for the days around, and an all-inclusive price. No deposit, no obligation.
From US$360/day on a private 5-seater with driver.
Rolled into your journey quote.