In 1974, an archaeological team began excavating Pit No 1 of Emperor Qinshihuang's mausoleum, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, in Xi'an. The excavation unveiled a vast underground army of life-size Terracotta Warriors created to accompany the emperor in the afterlife. The warriors, modeled after real soldiers, were found alongside numerous bronze weapons, re-creating the powerful Qin army that unified the country over 2,000 years ago.

In 1987, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.