Squashed like an ant at Terracotta Army (Day 11 of Xi’an-Beijing trip)

Continuing our Beijing-to-Xi’an travelogue, we visited Terracotta Army on Day 11 and had a terrible time trying not to be squashed by the crowd there.

Read on to check out our experience at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, an UNESCO World Heritage site with about 8,000 Terracotta warriors protecting Emperor Qin in his afterlife (or so he believed). 

How to get from Xi’an to Terracotta Army by Public Transport?

From our hotel in Xi’an, we took a subway to Hua Qing Chi station (华清池地铁站).

There, we boarded bus 613 (fee: ¥5) to continue our journey. It was such a memorable experience (not in a good way) as people were rowdily shoving up the bus instead of queuing orderly. 

The total journey took 1 hour 40 mins, and we arrived at the museum at 12pm.

SAVE THE HASSLE? To ease logistics, you can join a day tour that takes care of transports, attraction tickets and even food. It may also bring you to more attractions around the vicinity. This is especially useful when travelling with family.

See this popular one-day tour of Terracotta Army and nearby attractions.

Tour Guide on the Bus?

Not sure why, but there was a tour guide on the bus. Upon alighting, the tour guide led us to a tourist office to purchase guided tour. Price was ¥38 per pax for a tour group size of 15 pax. 

We were never really a fan of group tour, and left the “room” to find our way to the museum. Sadly, from where we were dropped off, it wasn’t quite clear where the museum entrance was.

After making one big detour, we finally found the official entrance and saw many “guides” touting for business!

Where is the entrance to Terracotta Army?

The entrance was located to the right of the large statue (see location).

Luckily, we had pre-purchased tickets to enter Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum as the queue was bad.

After entering, you would need to walk about 700m to get to the first pit. 

TIP: Skip the queue by purchasing admission tickets online – see ticket price.

Remember to bring your passport everywhere you go in China, as that typically serves as verification for both attractions and train transport.

The 3 pits of Terracotta Army Museum

Our order of visit was Pit 2, Pit 3, than Pit 1 (largest pit). Online info told us that Pit 1 was the most busy and it’s better to go later in the afternoon. 

Pit 2 of Terracotta Warrior

At Pit 2, we  saw a good mix of warriors, such as archers, cavalrymen and military officers (see location). 

Standing at 6,000 square meters, the pit was large enough and the crowd wasn’t too heavy, making this a comfortable visit. 

Pit 3 of Terracotta Warrior (Command Centre)

Next, we proceeded to Pit 3 which was said to be a command centre due to its concealed position behind Pit 1 and 2. This was the only pit that escaped a fire attack and hence retained more colours when unearthed (see location).

As this was a small pit standing at just 500m2, we were “done” in 20 minutes. 

Pit 1 of Terracotta Warrior (Mad Crowd)

We’d intentionally kept Pit 1 – the largest pit – to the last to avoid the crowd (see location). But we failed miserably!

Being crowded was an understatement. All we did there was trying to “survive” not being squashed. With the narrow corridor and numerous large tour groups, the passageways were fully choked!

We didn’t even bother to view the pit – we couldn’t as our sights were blocked. Our only goal was to inch our way towards the end of the passage so as to escape any potential stampede (a real risk).

While doing so, we smelled perspiration and were rubbed by sweaty wet skin of strangers. 

Not quite sure if this was a typical phenomenon or the fact that we were there during the mid-Autumn festive period. We also wondered why there were insufficient description labels, making it difficult to appreciate the UNESCO site without engaging a guide. 

No wonder online reviews described this as a must-visit place for tourist, but not necessary an enjoyable one. We fully understand now! :)

What to do beyond the 3 pits (Terracotta Army)? 

The Qing Museum (Exhibition Hall)

After the big squeeze, we went to an air-conditioned building nearby that turned out to be The Qing Museum (秦始皇兵马俑博物馆).

The crowd there wasn’t that bad, allowing for a better stay and appreciation of history (see location). 

Food at Qing Museum (Terracotta Army)

It was already 4pm by the time we left the exhibition hall.

We walked to the attraction’s food street to get a quick bite. The “Chinese Hamburger” (肉夹馍) that I ordered from a random restaurant was pretty decent!

Lishan Garden (We missed it!)

The next stop was supposed to be Lishan Garden (丽山园) – free to enter as attraction was already included in the admission ticket. But the queue at the shuttle service boarding station was so long!

Noting that it was getting late and we wouldn’t have sufficient time to tour Lishan Garden, we gave up and headed back to Xi’an. 

TIP: Most people would combine Terracotta with a visit to another popular attraction nearby – Huaqing Palace (see admission price). You could watch the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” performance that tells the love story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Gui Fei (see ticket price). 

Yongxingfang Food Street for Dinner (Xi’an)

After a long journey via bus and train, we were back in Xi’an. Let’s visit Yongxingfang Food Street (永兴坊), said to be a good place to savour Shaanxi food.

Yongxingfang Food Street, located near the east gate of Xi’an City Wall, was smaller than expected.

After walking through one loop, we decided to try Zichang Pancake (子长煎饼 – ¥35) as this place looked popular and well-patronised. 

Yes, the “thin white popiah” was nicely presented, but taste-wise, it was average and quite bland.

we also ordered a White Fungus drink (¥10) and Green Bean Cold Noodle (¥10). The latter was surprising really good – savory, tasty, cold and refreshing! 

Shopping at Holiday World Shopping Centre (Xi’an)

Our final stop of the day was at Holiday World Shopping Center (益田假日世界购物中心). Due to tired legs and a long day of busy itinerary and walking, we didn’t stay for long! 

Bought some good quality ear rings at Green Party, had a drink at Chagee before heading back to our hotel in Xi’an (located near the Bell Tower).  

For your convenience, I’ve provided linked location links below. Do note that for China travel, Baidu map is more accurate and complete. 

That’s it for Day 11 of our Beijing to Xi’an China trip. Stay tuned to the next post – we would leave Xi’an and head to Jie Xiu city. 

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