The Curse of the Terracotta Warriors tells the story of the discovery and its aftermath, mainly through the eyes of one of the farmers, Yang Zhifa.  Historian Gengzhe Yu says that years ago local farmers found figurines in the mausoleum area but smashed them for fear they would bring bad luck.  Despite the notoriety the discovery brought to Yang Zhifa and his crew of well diggers, they too wondered from time to time whether as a result of the discovery they had been blessed or cursed.  To make room for the building of museums, the Chinese government took away their homes, their land and their livelihood, and relocated them.  For years the government refused to give them official recognition for their discovery.  Some of the farmers, like Yang Zhifa and Yang Quanyi, were eventually given jobs in theTerracotta Warriors museum signing autographs.  Although the pay was a pittance, it was a job.  In 1998 Yang Zhifa greeted President Bill Clinton when he visited the museum.  Zhifa still proudly displays a photo of himself and the former president on the wall of his home.  

 

Today, only two of the seven farmers, Yang Zhifa and Yang Peiyan, are still alive.  They are too old to work at the museum and gift shop signing autographs, and so, in what may be seen as the ultimate insult, the museum and gift shop simply hired imposters.  Yang Xi’an and Yang Jide sit behind tables as visitors are beckoned to meet the “farmers who discovered the Terracotta Warriors,” to have their photos made with them, and to receive an autographed copy of a book they are asked to purchase.

 

Late in the autumn of their lives, Yang Zhifa and Yang Peiyan reflect on the serendipitous discovery that turned their lives upside down.  They still marvel at the attention they receive and the changes they have witnessed.  Although they and some of the families of the deceased farmers harbor resentment over the way they have been treated, on the whole, they are content and even proud of the small but significant role they played in Chinese history.