Terracotta warriors to be shown during Beijing Olympics

Five authentic terracotta 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 Terracotta 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 Terracotta Army was discovered by chance in 1974 and the tomb that it "guards" has since been excavated, yielding many treasures.