Two Thousand Years, One Bad Afternoon
A leap into the pit that guarded an emperor
Image: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
- Repair Cost
- Undisclosed (stabilized)
- Curator's Blood Pressure
- 97%
- Embarrassment Level
- 6/10
- Recovered?
- Stabilized
- Selfie Involved?
- No
A man climbed the barriers and jumped nearly six metres into an excavation pit at Xi'an, pushing and pulling the ancient clay soldiers and damaging at least two before guards subdued him.
Few archaeological discoveries are as recognisable as China's Terracotta Army — thousands of life-sized soldiers built to guard Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. In June 2025 visitors watched in disbelief as a man vaulted the protective railings and dropped into one of the pits.
Once inside he shoved and wrenched at the warriors, damaging at least two figures before security intervened. Conservators stabilised the damage, but the incident was a stark reminder that irreplaceable treasures remain vulnerable to a single impulsive act. The army survived burial, earthquakes and twenty centuries underground. It was nearly undone by a visitor who ignored the rails.