The figures surrounding the tomb include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. It's estimated that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses.

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor after the unification of China in 221 BC. It was under Huang's rule that the precursor to the Great Wall of China was built. Huang was obsessed with becoming immortal, because of his fear of death. He ironically died of mercury poisoning due to the capsules he was prescribed in order to achieve immortality.

Huang's fear of death fueled his desire to be fully protected from it; at the mere age of thirteen he commanded 700,000 slaves to build his tomb. This remarkable tomb, which is still unopened in the heart of Li Mountain, is rumored to contain rivers of mercury, a ceiling of jewels to represent the sky, and a carving depicting his entire kingdom on the whole floor. It measures about one square mile, however it could have been twice as big before it became exposed to erosion.

The story says that the grave is fully protected against grave robbers - if you step foot inside of the grave, there are booby traps that will result in instant death. He kept the many miles around the site guarded, with thousands of terra cotta warriors above and under ground, the only remnants of the tomb that have been discovered.

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Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor