Terracotta Warriors Exhibit Will Open in Seattle for the First Time

Widely regarded as one of the world’s biggest and grandest archaeological finds, the terracotta warriors of Emperor Qin have found their way to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, according to an article by SeattlePi.com.

The exhibit, titled the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor, will allow Seattle locals to catch a glimpse of the life-sized warriors with their horses, along with the technology used to create the statues.

“It’s not just a collection of artifacts and history, it’s a collection of questions,” Mona Lee Locke, co-chair of the exhibit and former First Lady of Washington state, told the media during a preview of the exhibit last Thursday, April 6.

Considered as one of China’s greatest treasures, the terracotta warriors would not have been discovered if not for two farmers who found terracotta pottery in a site outside Xi’an.

The farmers took the pottery to local scientists, who then estimated the artifacts to be over 2,000 years old. Intrigued, they went back to the site to excavate until the terracotta army and their retinues were discovered in a burial site.

The terracotta warriors were made to protect the burial tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.

Aside from seeing the life-sized warriors up close, visitors at the exhibit will also get the chance to take a look at the extraordinary technology used to create the artifacts. Guests are also invited to participate in interactive parts of the exhibit, where visitors will piece stacks together to create a warrior.

“The science behind these terracotta warriors, thousands of years ago, is really breathtaking,” Locke said.

The media preview of the exhibit coincides with President Xi Jinping’s ongoing meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump. As for the public, the exhibit will officially open on Saturday, April 8, and will run through Sept. 4.