Society

Chinese Terracotta Warriors exhibite in Chile

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-05 11:32

SANTIAGO: Terracotta Warriors from the tomb of China's First Emperor, Qin Shihuang, marched thousands of kilometers to Chile, where they were put on display in a splendid exhibition which opened Friday.

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet inaugurated the exhibition, "The Ancient China and the Terracotta Army," in the central hall of the Cultural Center La Moneda Palace in Chile's capital Santiago.

The exhibition, which will run for the next five months, includes 124 terracotta soldiers and horses. They are supposed to protect Qin Shihuang, who ruled from 221 B.C. to 210 B.C., in the afterlife.

"This is one part of the globalization we need to boost. It means dialogue of cultures, deep connection among the people and communication of dreams," Bachelet said during the inauguration ceremony.

"We use the verb 'to orient' in Spanish, which refers to the quest for the good path," she explained. "Our people need to learn about oriental history and culture, mainly that of China."

Bachelet stressed that the exhibition furnishes proof of Chinese civilization's development by displaying history from the unification of the empire to the consolidation of the Han dynasty.

She also noted that the Terracotta Warriors display will enable children in Chile to broaden their horizons, eliciting both their amazement and admiration.

The mausoleum of the first Chinese emperor is one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the contemporary era. The terracotta figures were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers drilling for water near Xi'an,in China's northwestern province of Shaanxi.

It is estimated that in the three pits which originally contained the Terracotta Army, there are over 8,000 soldiers and 100 chariots, with 400 horses and 300 cavalry horses, the majority of which have not been excavated yet. Each figure in the tomb is unique and wears a uniform which denotes its military rank.

The exhibition is organized by the Chilean Cultural Ministry with the collaboration of Chinese cultural authorities from Shaanxi Province.