Terra Cotta Warrior Tickets Now on Sale

Soldiers. Charioteers. Archers. Musicians. Generals. Acrobats. Nearly 2,000 years ago, thousands of life-size clay figures were buried in massive underground pits to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, into the afterlife. Their discovery outside the city of Xi'an in 1974 is one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

Now, you can stand face-to-face with these terra cotta warriors. In November 2009, National Geographic Museum will host Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor, an exhibition featuring treasures from the tomb complex including 15 life-size figures, weapons, armor, coins, and more. Don't miss this chance to see the largest collection of significant artifacts from China ever to travel to the United States.

Today there's an event going on in our courtyard to announce the opening, and one man, Chi Chang, will be dressed as a warrior and making appearances throughout D.C. over the next few days. Here's the schedule of where you can find him, (just so you have a little warning, as Jeannette just saw him on her way through the basement, and was a bit freaked out). For more on the warriors visit www.warriorsdc.org.

Update: Above is a photo from today's press event, featuring local schoolchildren, the majority of whom sported warrior masks. By Kate Baylor.