A collection of 2300-year-old Terracotta Warriors from China will go on display at Te Papa this December.
Te Papa chief executive Geraint Martin says the $2.6 million exhibition will present "treasures that many wouldn't otherwise get a chance to see".
It's expected that 100,000 people will visit the exhibition, bringing an estimated $33 million in economic benefits to Wellington.
The exhibition features eight 180cm-tall warriors from the terracotta army: an armoured general, an unarmoured general, two armoured military officers, a kneeling archer, a standing archer, an unarmoured infantryman and a civil official.
There will be two full-sized horses from the terracotta army, and two half-size replica bronze chariots, each drawn by four horses.
The terracotta figures will be presented alongside more than 180 treasures from imperial tombs in China's ancient capital of Xi'an, crafted from gold, jade, and bronze.
For more than 2,000 years, the underground army of warriors guarded the tomb of China's First Emperor Qin Shihuang in Shaanxi province.
They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well and are regarded as one of the greatest archaeological finds of the twentieth century.
It's estimated there are 8000 soldiers in total, with 3000 having been excavated so far. They weigh between 100 and 300kg, and vary in height, uniform and hairstyle according to rank.
They were originally painted with bright pigments but the colour has faded over time.
Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality 秦始皇兵马俑:永恒的守卫 will open on December 15 December and run until April 22, 2019.
Tickets will be on sale from October 1. Adult tickets will be $19.50, children aged 3-15 years will be $9, and concession tickets will be $17.
Newshub.
