Terra-cotta warriors to be shown during Beijing Olympics

Five authentic terra-cotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) will be on display in the Olympic Green central zone during the sporting event.

The free show will run from Aug. 8-24, said a spokesman of the Xi'an-based Emperor Qin's Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum on Tuesday. The exhibit could get up to 20,000 visitors a day, he said.

The items to be shown include a damaged pottery figure being restored and four complete figures -- a kneeling archer, a standing archer and two lieutenants -- unearthed from the tomb of Qinshihuang, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, who effectively created the state of China more than 2,000 years ago.

The Terra-cotta Army was discovered by chance in 1974 and the tomb that it "guards" has since been excavated, yielding many treasures.