The terracotta warriors are a collection of sculptures interred in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang (259-210 B.C.). Local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an City, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, discovered the site in March 1974.
As the self-proclaimed first emperor of a unified China, Qin ushered in two millennia of successive imperial rule by different dynasties.
In 1987, the Mausoleum was listed as World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and became known as a wonder of the world.
Now as the evacuation work proceeds, more and more sculptures are being unearthed. At the same time, enormous progress has been made in the preservation and restoration of the relics. Specialists are trying to revive the faded sculptures and exhibit them in their original colors. |