Xian Warriors of China

NHNZ became the first television production company ever to gain access to the Terracotta Warrior Museum Conservation lab in Xian, China and one of only a few production companies ever allowed to film inside the museum pits.

Producer/director Steve Talley describes the experience as “a privilege and a rare opportunity to get up close and personal to some of the estimated 8 000 men of clay buried by China's First Emperor over two thousand years ago.”

The NHNZ crew recorded scientists poring over the terracotta remains to find clues to help solve an ancient riddle. When China's first emperor commanded the production of a clay army for his tomb, no one in China had ever attempted to make 8 000 life-size human figures of clay. How was this massive army built and what were the unprecedented challenges the warrior-makers faced?

Among the secrets of the terracotta army is the warriors' original paint job, a discovery that's been kept safely locked up inside the museum for many years. “Viewers will get a rare glimpse of what the original army really looked like. Seeing even traces of the original colours radically challenges our familiar image of the dust-coloured warriors. When they were placed in their pits more than 2 000 years ago they were a riot of colour – purples, greens, reds and blues,” says Steve Talley.

The NHNZ crew spent a day filming with archaeologist Yuan Zhongyi, arguably the man who knows most about the terracotta warriors and their construction techniques. Yuan was one of the original archaeologists who uncovered the terracotta warriors in 1974, after peasant farmers accidentally stumbled upon a warrior's head while digging a well. Yuan's intimate knowledge of this UNESCO World Heritage Site will give audiences a unique insight into the construction of China's greatest national treasure.

Secrets of the Ghost Army is a co-production between NHNZ, National Geographic Channels International and Thirteen WNET.