Terra-cotta solders, musicians, chariot horses and other unearthed antiques dated back 2,000 years came under lime light at British Museum when a six-month-long exhibition started here today.

"It is a great day for British Museum and London to have such a great exhibition," said Gordon Brown, the British prime minister at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

 
Though China's terra-cotta soldiers have been shown at many exhibitions outside China, the exhibition, named The First Emperor-- China's terra-cotta army, is the first such theme show.

The exhibition marks the strengthening of the Sino-UK relations, said Brown, adding that cultural exchange is playing an ever important role in tightening Sino-UK ties.

It is said that 100,000 tickets, each worth 12 pounds, have already been sold for the half-year-long exhibition.

Qinshihuang, the First Emperor of China, was one of the world's greatest rulers, who united China and built a vast tomb complex, hailed by many as an eternal underground empire guarded by a terra-cotta army.

The terra-cotta army, first unearthed in 1972, is regarded as both a cultural heritage and a great tourist attraction worldwide, with over two million travelers pilgriming to the Terra-Cotta Musuem in Xi'an in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province.