'Mentally Ill' Tourist Breached Museum, Damaged Ancient Relics
A local tourist apparently suffering from a 'mental illness' caused chaos and destruction at the Terracotta Army Museum in X'ian, China, damaging several ancient statues of a Chinese ruler, Ancient Origins reported.The Terracotta Army statues were commissioned by emperor Qin Shi around 210 B.C. so that he could take with him an army to the afterlife. The army is composed of about 8,000 individual warriors, horses, chariots, entertainers, and officials, each of them designed with specific facial features and hand-painted in a variety of colors. Several statues were even provided with bronze weapons, an indication that their presence was not just ceremonial and that they would be doing battle for their emperor in the afterlife.The suspect, a 30-year-old man identified only as Sun, was reportedly visiting the museum when he scaled a fence and protective net, dropping into an 18-foot trench known as Pit No. 3 which contained two statues of Terracotta warriors. He apparently smashed several statues before security officials intervened and placed the suspect under arrest. Video taken of the aftermath shows the statues shattered on the ground.Authorities later said they believe Sun suffers from a 'mental illness,' adding that the matter is still under investigation. At this time, the museum is still open to the public, though the affected statues have been removed. However, the incident has raised questions regarding the Terracotta Army Museum's safety protocols. Museum officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Men's Journal.'Mentally Ill' Tourist Breached Museum, Damaged Ancient Relics first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2025
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