Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday visited the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi’an – the capital city of Shaanxi province – and praised the work of Chinese craftmen. As the prime minister visited the historic museum, the Chinese officials briefed him on the work produced around 200 BC – over 2,500 years ago. Earlier on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting a day earlier suggested Shehbaz to visit the site, which is located in his home town, for which he thanked the host. He was accompanied by his cabinet members including Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Musadik Malik, Awais Leghari and Rana Tanveer. The Terracotta Army are the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometres east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum.

Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his afterlife. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archaeologists immediately. They came to Xian in droves to study and to extend the digs. They had established beyond doubt that these artefacts were associated with the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC). Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigour.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan