Decorative window at the musuem of the Terracota warriors, Xian, China. These warriors guarded the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, a despotic ruler of China about 2,200 years ago. There are 7,000 figures, each originally covered with colorful paint. The ruler forced 70,000 people to work 36 years to build these warriors and the tomb. Archaeological excavations began in 1974 when the site was discovered by a farmer digging a well.