Mystery Unfolds as Tourist with Mental Illness Wreaks Havoc on Ancient Chinese Terracotta Warriors
The Tourist Who Damaged The Terracotta Army
According to a statement provided to the Agence France-Presse, the incident occurred on May 30, 2025. The man — a “domestic tourist” identified only by his surname, Sun — was visiting the Museum of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an, China, when he suddenly lunged for the warriors.
Sun hopped over a guardrail and a protective net and down into an 18-foot-deep excavation pit that houses several of the warriors. All the while, his fellow tourists cried out, “What are you doing?”
Ignoring them, the 30-year-old man “pushed and pulled” at the clay warriors, damaging two “to varying degrees.” Videos that circulated online showed Sun then lying on the ground and holding his head before he was “controlled” by security.
Weibo via XThe tourist as seen on videos circulated on social media.
The tourist was found to “suffer from mental illness,” according to Chinese officials, but the case is still under investigation. It’s a shocking and upsetting chapter in the long history of the Terracotta Army, which was first constructed beginning in 248 B.C.E.
The Incredible History Of The Terracotta Army
Bernd Thaller/FlickrSome 8,000 terracotta soldiers have been discovered, but it’s possible that there are more.
Some 2,000 years ago, the Terracotta Army was built on the orders of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Qin Dynasty. Huang unified ancient China and is regarded as the country’s first emperor.
Built to guard the emperor in the afterlife — and as a display of power — the thousands of “soldiers” in the Terracotta Army were mass produced but adorned with specific details. Artisans gave them different eyes, hair, and even facial hair, likely in an effort to represent the different regions of China.
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