A man in China climbed over the railing and entered a Terracotta Army pit to push and pull the clay statues. Official reports state that the man suffers from mental illness and has been taken into custody by the police.
CCTV News cites online video content reporting that a 30-year-old man surnamed Sun entered the No. 3 pit at the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi, on the afternoon of the 30th.
The viewing area of Pit No. 3 is built in a high platform structure, with about a three-meter drop from the inside of the pit. The boundary between the viewing area and the pit is protected by railings and other protective measures.
The Lintong Branch of Xi'an Public Security Bureau released an incident report in the early morning of the 31st: The man entered the Terracotta Army scenic area that day and jumped into Pit No. 3 by climbing over the protective barriers and nets. He pushed and pulled the clay statues, causing varying degrees of damage to two armored warrior statues (secondary-level cultural relics). Currently, Sun has been taken into custody by the police, and it has been established that he suffers from mental illness. The case is still under further investigation.
An eyewitness at the scene recalled that at the time, he was being led by a tour guide to Pit No. 3. As soon as he entered, he saw a man jumping into the pit. The man first jumped to the middle layer and then again to the bottom of the pit. The eyewitness, along with other onlookers, was stunned and shouted loudly, “What are you doing?” Then, the witness saw the man stand up, touch the Terracotta Warriors, and then push them over. After pushing them, the man lay on the ground covering his face, while everyone was scolding him.
"Later, the site was closed, and we were evacuated by the staff, so we didn’t see how the man got out," the eyewitness claimed.