Rare terracotta warrior depicting military officer unearthed in Xi'an

A terracotta warrior depicting the image of a senior military officer has been unearthed from a pit in the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Terracotta sculptures of senior military officers are rarely seen in the army of Terracotta Warriors, which were built under the rule of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), who unified China for the first time.

The terracotta military officers usually wear heguan, a headpiece for military officials, and are clad in colorful scale armor decorated with exquisite patterns.

Their hands are clasped in front of the abdomen, while their shoulders, along with the front and back of the chest, are adorned with ribbon-like floral knots.

The recently unearthed terracotta figure was found with several parts of its body broken off, but its colors remained fresh through the millennia under the protection of silt.

"Silt has the advantage of providing relatively stable humidity and temperature under certain conditions, which is conducive to the protection of the colors," said Zhu Sihong, archaeological project manager for the No.2 pit of the army of Terracotta Warriors.

Archaeologists numbered and photographed each part of the fractured clay statue before sending it to the archaeological lab for research and restoration.

In 1974, local farmers accidentally unearthed clay fragments while digging a well, leading to one of China's most significant archeological discoveries -- the army of Terracotta Warriors. This discovery was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

Around 2,000 life-size clay warriors and numerous weapons have been unearthed from three pits surrounding Qin Shi Huang's tomb, covering an area of over 20,000 square meters.

After 50 years of excavation and research efforts, more than 10 above-ground building sites and over 500 underground burial pits and tombs have been discovered in the mausoleum. Over 50,000 pieces of relics have been unearthed.

Rare terracotta warrior depicting military officer unearthed in Xi'an

Rare terracotta warrior depicting military officer unearthed in Xi'an

A panda family of four in Macao has won the hearts of an increasing number of people with their fluffy appearance and adorable behaviors, attracting 290,000 visitors last year.

A pair of giant pandas Kaikai and Xinxin were chosen as a gift of the central government to the Macao Special Administrative Region in 2015. They gave birth to twin brothers Jianjian and Kangkang in Macao in 2016. The panda family is now living a happy and leisured life.

"This is our Kangkang, the younger twin. He's a little smaller in size and has a more pointed face, just like his dad Kaikai. He's also very smart and always gains affection of his breeders by acting in a cutesy manner," said a panda caretaker.

In the panda pavilion, Macao's Seac Pai Van Park, the panda family receives attentive care from their zoo keepers. They enjoy fresh local bamboo, fruit, and high-fiber biscuits every day, with special fruit and bamboo cakes on their birthdays.

"They're actually quite familiar with us. Since they're now adult pandas, we can't interact with them the same way we did when they were younger, like being in the same space. However, we still have regular interactions, such as touching them safely, which they seem to enjoy. Sometimes we clean biscuit crumbs off their mouth or nose. This helps them get used to our voices and smells, building their trust in us, which makes it easier to carry out medical checks for them," said the caretaker.

As the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China draws near, an increasing number of locals are visiting the park to see the panda family, wishing for them to thrive in Macao and bring even more happiness to the people, just as their names suggest.

Giant pandas in Macao capture hearts of visitors