A man clad as a Terracotta Warrior draws visitors' attention to the first major US exhibition of relics of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), held in San Francisco on Wednesday. [Photo by Chen Gang / China News Service]

Ten life-sized Terracotta Warriors from China will be a central part of an exhibition in San Francisco that opens on Friday.

The exhibition, China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Asian Art Museum. It is the first exhibition held in the United States that focuses on the historical relics of China's Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

In a bid to achieve immortality, China's first emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty built himself a tomb - a vast underground city guarded by a life-sized terracotta army including warriors, infantrymen, horses, chariots and all their attendant armor and weaponry, said He Li, curator of the exhibition.

The underground burial complex was first unearthed in 1974 in Shaanxi province, and is considered an astonishing discovery on a par with ancient Egypt's elaborate tombs.

He said 123 exhibits from Qinshihuang's tomb and tombs of the early Qin Dynasty sent by 13 museums in Shaanxi will be on display. The exhibition will feature 10 figures - a representative sample of the actual army, which is estimated to include more than 7,000 life-sized figures and more than 10,000 weapons.

Visitors will be able to take a close look at the first emperor's other relics, such as the bronze swords inlaid with gold and turquoise and horses and chariots, said Jay Xu, the executive director of the Asian Art Museum.

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