China's Terracotta Warriors return to Houston Museum for fall exhibit
September 17, 2025 | In the PressFrom Culture Map Houston (https://houston.culturemap.com/news/arts/terracotta-warriors-houston-science-museum/)
One of the greatest archeological discoveries in Chinese history, the Terracotta Warriors, is returning to the Houston Museum of Natural Science this November, alongside more than a hundred artifacts unearthed in recent digs. World of the Terracotta Warriors: New Archaeological Discoveries in Shaanxi in the 21st Century opens to the public November 14. Pre-sale tickets are on sale now from $20-$35.
“This exhibit presents the latest archaeological discoveries that rewrote history,” said Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, curator of anthropology for HMNS. “China’s advanced civilization did not start where once thought it did. This is a story of over two millennia with kingdoms waxing and waning. It ends with the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. His mausoleum still stands, undisturbed. His army, and servants have awoken and await your visit.”
The Terracotta Warriors were displayed in Houston in 2012 and 2009.
In 1974, farmers near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province were digging a well when they unearthed the head of a Terracotta Warrior. Subsequent archeological work revealed one of the most elaborate mausoleums in human history, that of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Rivaling the pyramids and burial chambers of the Egyptian Pharaohs, the emperor's necropolis was the size of a football field and guarded by thousands of the Terracotta Warriors. These statues were supposed to protect the emperor in the afterlife, and many remained standing at attention as if they could do just that.
The Terracotta Warriors date to 206 BCE, showing an advanced Chinese civilization on par or exceeding the Roman Empire that completely redefined Chinese history. The new exhibit will display artifacts from the site as well as others that fully explore the region's human habitation, including items from 4,000 years in the past from the city of Shimao. In addition to the famous warriors, visitors will get to see opulent jade and gold ornaments and other accessories buried with kings and nobles in the necropolis.
However, it's the Terracotta Warriors who will take center stage. Presented in partnership with leading institutions across Shaanxi Province, visitors will be able to get up close to several of the life-sized figures, including archers and military officials. The warriors who once guarded the tomb of the emperor now welcome people to learn about the political and artistic history of the land he once ruled.
