Photo taken on June 13, 2009 shows the excavation site of No. 1 pit of the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses of Emperor Qin Shihuang, in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.  [Jiao Weiping/Xinhua]

The Mausoleum honors the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, the first unifier of China. It's located at the northern foot of Lishan Mountain in Lintong, Shaanxi Province. It covers an area of 56 square kilometers, the biggest mausoleum in the world.

The 2200-year old complex involved 700,000 laborers and took 36 years to finish.

The design embodies the emperor's dominant power everywhere.

The actual tomb of the Emperor has not been excavated. Many devices were/have been [were=originally; have been=in the present] installed to prevent robbers from entering.

But his terracotta army nearby has already stunned the world. So far, three pits have been excavated. Some 8,000 life-sized warriors, together with chariots, weapons and other precious relics, demonstrate a powerful military array.