The Terracotta Army is a statue representing the army of Qin Shi Huang, an important part of the mausoleum of the first emperor of China in Xi'an, Siam Tay Province, central China.
The mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Army has been a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO since 1987.
This is where Xiaozeng, a secondary school student in China, and his friends thought he would visit on June 15.
However, when arriving in Tay An, Xiaozeng was taken by a local taxi driver to a location called "Dreaming Back of Qin Dynasty".
This driver promoted this as a place where tourists are allowed to take photos and touch statues of meritorious soldiers.
"The driver assured me that "these are terracotta warriors. Just go down and you will see the palace underground" - Xiaozeng recounted.
After leaving the location and checking the official WeChat account, the Chinese student realized the difference and knew he had been scammed.
The fake location of the Terracotta Army in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is about 2km from the real location, charging 198 yuan (28 USD) for an adult ticket and 98 yuan (14 USD) for student tickets. Meanwhile, the ticket prices to visit the Terracotta Army region are 120 and 60 yuan (16.5 and 8.25 USD), respectively.
After the scam was reported to the Tay An Mayor's hotline, the location returned tickets to Xiaozeng and his classmates who were scammed. According to the authorities, the drivers in this case are often people without a license.
The case of impersonating a Terracotta Army in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang has led to outrage on social media. "I hope the authorities will take this issue seriously and protect the reputation of the Terracotta Army. We cannot let a few unethical individuals tarnish the image of the Terracotta Army" - a netizen shared.
"This is embarrassing for Tay An people. Can they fake one of the eight wonders of the world? The government must punish those responsible for those scams severely," another netizen said.
The discussion of Chinese netizens also aimed at another fake tourist destination in Xi'an called the "8 Wonders of the World Museum". This site has copies of the Egyptian Sphinx and Babylon hanging Garden as well as the defenders of the Terracotta Army.
A bus is designed like a bus going to the relic site of the real Terracotta Army to attract visitors to the "8 Wonders of the World Museum". Everything from the bus station to the ticket seller and ticket prices are done like real buses.
The entire travel experience in Tay An feels like it is in the movie The impossible Project - a humorous netizen commented.
Another Chinese netizen said: "I just realized that the Terracotta Army that I saw many years ago was fake. At first, the strange appearance of the Terracotta Army, including colorful statues, confused me." The netizen added: "It turned out to be all scams. I have been scammed for many years."
