Tourists thrilled as terracotta dig begins

The unearthing² of more terracotta warriors⁴ is such a treat for one tourist from Hubei that he has decided⁵ to return to Xi'an every summer for the next five years.

"I want to witness each step of the excavation⁶ of the Qin terracotta warriors and horses," Sun Yunfeng from Enshi told China Daily yesterday.

During the first two days of excavation, which began again on Saturday and is ongoing⁷ during visiting hours, archaeologists found two chariots standing⁸ close together, each with four horses.

"It is the first time we've unearthed⁹ such an arrangement of chariots in the pit. The chariots we found before had a dozen warriors in between," said Cao Wei, deputy curator of the Qinshihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum.

They also found a warrior³ with color paint still on his face, arm and chest.

"From the results made in the first two days of the excavation, we think there are some 150 pottery¹⁰ warriors, two chariots and eight horses in this section," said Liu Zhancheng, an archaeologist at the museum.

In another part of the excavation area, archaeologists found a painted wooden ring with colors still bright after more than 2,000 years in the earth.

"Although there is little possibility to unearth¹ well-protected painting figures as Pit No 1 was destroyed by fire and water in ancient times, it is still possible to find colorful painting on some parts of high-ranking figures," Xu said.

It was the third excavation in the pit - the first and largest of three pits at the site near Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province -since 1974 when the terracotta army was discovered.

Questions:

1. When did excavation recommence on the outskirts¹¹ of Xi’an at the terracotta warrior site?

2. What is the estimate of the number of possible items presently being excavated¹²?

3. How many years have the figures been underground?

Answers:

1. On Saturday.

2. 150 pottery warriors.

3. More than 2000 years.