PIECES for a unique Alicante exhibition featuring China’s Terracotta army have been unpacked and put ready for display at the city’s MARQ archaeological museum.
The exhibition called ‘The Legacy of the Quin and Han dynasties” opens to the public on March 28 and will run until the end of next January.
It’s the first occasion since the Covid pandemic that parts of the Terracotta army have left China in what MARQ officials have described as one of Spain’s ‘biggest cultural events of the year’.
120 original pieces and five replicas arrived at the museum on Friday with specialists from Chinese museums and institutions assisting MARQ officials during the the unpacking and placement process.
Careful handling was paramount with the exhibition including nine warriors and an original terracotta horse as well as two bronze chariot replicas.
It’s the first time that many of the pieces have been exhibited outside of China.
Alicante Provincial Council president, Carlos Mazon, said: “I’ve had the privilege of admiring these pieces for the first time and this is something that we have fought hard for to get here.”
“The road has not been easy but exhaustive and successful negotiations with the Chinese government means that we can enjoy one of the world’s most unique collections,” he added.
The life-size terracotta warriors were discovered nearly 50 years ago in Xi’an province with over 2,000 figures recovered so far from an area that was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
They lined the entrance to the tomb of Chinese emperor, Qin Shihaung, over 2,000 years ago.
Besides the figures, the exhibition will contain interactive elements and videos looking back at Chinese history.
Tickets will cost just €5 with group reductions available as well as discounts for the over-65’s, children, and students.