Terracotta Army restored with splash of original color

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‍The Terracotta Warriors, located in Xi’an in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, is one of the country’s most famous must-see attractions.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the three giant pits are filled with an assortment of clay generals, warriors, chariots and horses and were discovered by chance by farmers in 1974.

The army dates back to the 3rd Century B.C. and was buried with China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to protect him in the afterlife.

It’s one of the most visited sites in China and archaeologists estimate that some figures – along with Qin Shi Huang’s tomb – remain buried.

But despite the entire army being gray, what most people don’t know is that the entire range of figures was, at one time, colored with vivid paint which eroded over the years.

Now, the team at the Mausoleum Site Museum are working to restore this color with a number of figures now sporting flashes of purple.

(This report was originally broadcast in Culture Express on 31 August, 2017)

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(This report was originally broadcast in Culture Express on 31 August, 2017)