China's terra-cotta warriors remain intact after earthquake

  China's terra-cotta warriors in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, have remained intact after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake, which hit the region on Thursday, said the local cultural relics bureau on Friday.

    An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale struck Gaoling County, Shaanxi, at 7:31 a.m. Thursday. The epicenter, at a depth of about 6 km, was only 25 km from Xi'an, Shaanxi's capital, home to the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, according to the provincial seismological network.

    The cultural relics bureau said it had sent staff to check the relics in the museum immediately after the tremor. No damage was found.

    The seismological network on Friday also dismissed worries of aftershocks, saying that the earthquake was unlikely to have strong aftershocks.

    The terra-cotta army, which achieved UNESCO world heritage listing in 1987, was built by the first emperor of China's feudal dynasties, Qin Shihuang, as he hoped the underground army would protect his mausoleum.

    Since its discovery, the terra-cotta army has attracted almost 60 million visitors, according to the museum.