Famed fighters from east and west stood face to face on Thursday as Arnold Schwarzenegger took the measure of the ancient Terracotta Warriors of Xian.

Thankfully for all involved, the meeting was far from confrontational and the action movie star-turned-politician expressed his happiness to visit the “eighth wonder of the world”.

Schwarzenegger had arrived in Xian in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province on Wednesday evening with a view to taking advantage of both the cultural and material opportunities the ancient city has to offer. He said he planned to do some “Chinese-style” shopping, which many interpreted to mean he was hoping to splash out.

Valued at an estimated US$300 million, the Terminator star is hugely popular in China. In his first visit to Beijing in 2005 as then-governor of California, Schwarzenegger was mobbed by hundreds of flag-waving fans who eventually had to be restrained by police.

The euphoric reception he received then was in stark contrast to the mood in California, where Schwarzenegger was plagued by dismal approval ratings and a series of political disasters.

His latest film, Escape Plan, raked in nearly US$23 million in its first week in China. In April, the 66 year old will start shooting a reboot of the Terminator movies.

Before leaving the museum in Xian, Schwarzenegger had some parting words for both the warriors and his fans.

“I’ll be back,” he said. Of course.