Large terracotta warrior statue spotted outside S'pore condo unit, gives neighbour a fright

A woman was startled to see a large terracotta warrior statue standing outside the unit door in her condo.

"Went to a neighbour's house to get something, took a wrong turn, and saw a gigantic terracotta warrior outside a unit. It gave me a big fright," Xiaohongshu user Ting wrote in a post.

But she laughed and said she could not resist snapping a photo as it was interesting.

Ting's photo showed a life-sized replica of China's historical terracotta warriors, with a red sash tied around its waist, placed right in front of the unit's front door.

Thousands of clay warrior sculptures, collectively known as the Terracotta Army, were created and buried in the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to serve as his guards in the afterlife.

The mausoleum is now a public museum in Xi'an, China.

Not the first spotted in Singapore

One shared a photo of a woman holding the hand of what appears to be the same statue outside the same condo unit.

Others said that they have also seen terracotta warrior decor at restaurants, bars, cafes, and people's homes around Singapore.

A statue can be found at the entrance of Huang Tu Di Xi’An Delights, a restaurant in Clementi Mall specialising in Xi'An cuisine.

Guardian? Ominous?

Commenters were divided about whether the statue served as a positive or ominous symbol.

Some argued that it was ominous because the historical warrior sculptures were funerary objects buried together with Qin Shi Huang's corpse.

A user countered that they are guardians in a general sense, so when they are placed in the house of the living, they serve to protect the living.

On Carousell, terracotta warrior replicas can be purchased for prices ranging from S$10 for a miniature figurine, to S$2,000 for a life-sized statue.

Top images from Ting/Xiaohongshu and Terracotta Warriors Museum website