Terracotta warrior replica statue goes on display in Wigan town hall

The re-creation of the ancient Chinese treasure has been given to Wigan Council as a thank you for supporting the 10-year anniversary celebrations of Wigan’s Confucius Classroom at Wigan and Leigh College.

Other news: Wigan businessman cleared over roofer's deathThe Chinese General is situated in the reception area of Wigan Town Hall.

The Terracotta General represents a ‘diplomatic messenger’ who wishes to build a friendship between China and Wigan Council.

The council are encouraging residents and visitors to go along to Wigan Town Hall and have your photo taken with the new addition to the borough. And you are being urged to share your photos on social media.

The ancient terracotta warriors are known as “The Eighth Wonder of the World” and are a symbol of Xi’an city.

For 2,000 years an army of them famously guarded the tomb of China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Chinese workers digging a well in 1974 discovered thousands of life-size terracotta figures of an army prepared for battle.

Now called the terracotta army or terracotta warriors, the figures are located in three pits near the city of Xi’an in China’s Shaanxi province.

President Guoping Wang from Xi’an Bo-Ai International School said: “I appreciate the great support to the Confucius Classroom from Wigan Council in the past 10 years.

“By sending this Terracotta Warrior General from China it will contribute to the friendship between China and Wigan Council in the future.

It can also bring a different cultural experience to local residents.”

After the warriors were discovered, the site became a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The three pits (a fourth pit was unfinished) contain an estimated 8,000 life-size terracotta figures of which about 2,000 have been excavated.

The figures were created to serve the emperor in the afterlife and include a mix of chariots, cavalry, armoured soldiers and archers.

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Qin Emperor have always had the saying of “Thousands of Thousand Faces”.

On close inspection each terracotta warrior looks different.

If you would like to see the warrior for yourself, opening times of Wigan Town Hall areMonday-Friday 9am-5pm.