The terracotta warriors and horses were found 40 km east of Van City, Shaanxi Province. They were buried in a series of pits to guard the mausoleum of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, China's first unifier.

The three pits so far excavated are 1.5 km from the tomb. The first pit has over 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses, arranged in 38 rows of troops; the second pit has more than 1,000 terracotta warriors and horses; and the third pit 66 terracotta guards. This discovery has been dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world."