CCTV9英语新闻：Artifacts from ancient Qin and Han dynasties on show（在线收听）

A big batch of historical art works of ancient China's Qin and Han dynasties are hitting town. Titled 'Age of Empires', the show opened Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

More than 280 rare artifacts and art works, loaned from 31 museums and archaeological institutions in China, have crossed the ocean to highlight the brilliant accomplishments in art and culture back in ancient China, spanning over 4 centuries dating from 221 B.C..

Among items on display are terracotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty. The world famous life-sized clay soldiers were buried with the emperor to guard him in the afterlife. Another notable piece is a jade suit sewn with gold thread, the luxurious burial clothing of royals from the Han Dynasty.

Also on display are some ceramics, metal wares, textiles, sculpture, painting, calligraphy and architectural models. Most of the works have never before been seen in the West and could help visitors understand imperial life of the Chinese around 2,000 years ago.

"These historical items can lead us to understand what the life of the Qin and Han people were like. We can see through them their life in the royal court. For example, from the terracotta warrior, you come to understand how they were dressed. For an overseas audience, they could have a glimpse of Chinese history and its relations with modern China," Sun Zhixin, exhibition planner with Art Exhibitions China, said.

Though short-lived, Qin was the first Chinese feudal dynasty that achieved national unification. The succeeding Han Dynasty built a great Eastern empire as powerful and influential as its western peer of almost the same era, the Roman Empire.