We visited the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang near Tsian when in China last year. A small group of us who had hired a minibus wandered just to the east of the main tomb mound, and came across a grouping of several hundred full size Terracota soldiers and horses housed in a stable like structure, half underground. We found it quite by accident and it didn't appear to be open to the public, though it might have been a display being assembled for viewing. They were assembled by rank and file in the same manner as the main Terracottta Army, about 2km away. The great thing about it was that, while we might have been trespassing, it allowed us to wander among the figures, touching them, taking close-ups. It was probably the highlight of my entire trip to China, and even though the actual Terracotta Army site was more massive and impressive, this was more visceral and practically took my breath away. We eventually left it rather begrudgingly. I strongly suggest looking for it if you go to Tsian, but I would also like more information or impressions of the site if anyone has seen it. In no publications anywhere have I seen reference to it...

[This message was edited by andrew on December 02, 2001 at 03:36 AM.]