Hanyangling Museum

The tomb of the Han emperor Jing, who died in 141 BC, is surrounded by burial pits holding thousands of pottery figures about a third life size, made without arms because wooden ones were originally pegged on and have rotted, and originally dressed in silk that has also gone, so they now stand naked, smooth and oddly serene, many with a slight smile. Alongside them are pottery animals, granaries, tools and chariots, a household rather than an army. The museum roofed several pits and laid a glass floor over them, so visitors walk directly above the excavation with the figures lying below in low light.

What you actually see

• The glass floor - walking directly above the open burial pits.
• The smiling figures - armless third-scale pottery people in ranks.
• The animal pits - pottery pigs, dogs, sheep and horses in numbers.
• The household goods - granaries, tools and vessels buried with them.

When to go

Year-round; the museum is underground and climate controlled. It closes on Mondays in some seasons. It is far quieter than the Terracotta Army and best visited early.

Honest expectations

The interior is deliberately dim and cold, which surprises visitors. Figures are small and viewed from above through glass. It is often skipped by tours in favour of the Terracotta Army.

Nearby

Xi'an lies south; the airport is close by.