Lucky Land: Terra-Cotta Army (In Transition)
Houston, Texas
In early 2011 Forbidden Gardens closed, an elaborate miniature version of ancient China built on the steamy outskirts of Houston, Texas. Nida Lee, who owned a flea market in the city, never forgot the attraction. She tracked down its owners and bought all 6,000 of the Gardens' one-third scale terra-cotta warriors. She and her husband then dug a big pit, filled it with the diminutive army, and surrounded it with statues of pandas, bronze kung-fu sculptures, koi ponds, and several of Forbidden Gardens' miniature Chinese temples.
The attraction opened in early 2017 as Lucky Land, on three acres next to the flea market. Lee told a local newspaper that she hoped to eventually bring in rickshaws to take guests on rides around the park.