Someone was telling me last night that she thinks tourism to China might be giving tourism to Italy a run for its money. I don’t know of any stats to back that up, but if you’re interested in both China and Italy, then this exhibit is for you:
China: The Birth of an Empire, featuring over 350 artifacts – many that have never left China, will run from September 22, 2006 to January 28, 2007 at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale, the former stables of the palace which is now the official residence of the Italian head of state.
According to ANSA, the exhibition coincides with a visit to China by Italian Premier Romano Prodi, various government ministers and some 500 Italian businesspeople, comprising the largest Italian delegation ever to visit China.
One highlight of the show will be 200 terracotta soldiers, including the ‘army’ of life-sized warriors, horses and carts found near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of a united China .