Shock moment tourist jumps railing and plunges 18ft into Terracotta Army pit before smashing two priceless statues
The 30-year-old visitor leapt over the guard rail surrounding the clay warrior figures at a museum in the city of Xi'An on Friday.
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Footage shows the aftermath of his jump and senseless destruction of the 2000-year-old artefacts.
He can be seen lying on his back and rolling around - apparently in pain - at the bottom of an 18ft-deep pit.
The alleged vandal is leaning against one of the ancient statues as alarmed onlookers peer down into the pit.
Another angle shows the devastating extent of the damage to the statues.
Two have been knocked over and lie in pieces on the floor after the man "pushed and pulled" the clay figures.
They can clearly be seen to have crumbled in part - with officials reporting they were damaged to "varying degrees".
Security guards for the museum quickly stepped in to grab the intruder before he inflicted more damage.
Authorities said the man, identified only by his surname Sun, suffers from mental health problems.
They also confirmed an investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Concerns have been raised about how Sun managed to breach the security measures - consisting of a railing protective net - to plunge into the deep pit.
Dramatic moment gang blow up museum door & steal 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet in Ocean's 11-style heist before vanishing
Despite the intrusion, museum staff confirmed that the Xi'An exhibition remains open to the public.
In 2017, an American man admitted to stealing a thumb from one of the terracotta warriors while it was on exhibition in Pennsylvania.
Michael Rohana, in his early 20s, snapped it off when it was on display at the Franklin Institute museum.
In that case, the statue was estimated to be worth $4.5million.
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By that figure, the damage inflicted by the rogue tourist in Xi'An could amount to a whopping $9million, if the statues are ruined.
Rohana was acquitted after his prosecution ended in a mistrial.
His lawyer successfully argued that he was wrongly charged under laws that usually apply to major museum thefts.
Surveillance footage had captured him "clowning around" with the statues and taking selfies, before appearing to break something from one before leaving.
Museum staff noticed the missing thumb the following month and contacted the FBI.
They later traced the thumb to Rohana, who admitted he had kept the thumb in a desk drawer.
What is the Terracotta Army?
THE Terracotta Army is a collection of sculptures depicting the army of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
The warriors are made from terracotta, which is a type of reddish-brown clay.
The army was crafted for the purpose of being buried alongside Huang when he died around 210 BC.
It was believed they would help protect him in the afterlife.
The sculptures were first discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Linton County, outside Xi'an.
They vary in height according to their rank - with the generals built to be the tallest.
Amongst the collection are around 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, 150 cavalry horses and a range of other non-military figures.
Some of the sculptures have been moved for display, whilst others remain in situ in the pits.
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