By TRN Online, Kathmandu, July 22: People-to-people relationship between Nepal and China dates back to history although the two neighbours established formal ties just over six decades ago. Experts argue Nepal-China relations and exchanges took places since 5th century. 

Since then, series of cultural events are taking place to bring peoples of both countries further closer. A large number of Nepalis visit Chinese cities to perform Nepali shows and cultural events to the Chinese people and so do the Chinese artists here in Nepal. China Cultural Centre (CCC) in Nepal works as a cultural bridge between Nepal and China as it has been organizing dozens of cultural shows in Kathmandu and in the districts outside the capital city since its establishment in 2015.

Recently, the CCC has shifted its focus to the online after the COVID-19 pandemic. The CCC in Nepal has to suspend physical activities, and has organized various online events through social media to continue cultural exchanges, Director Xiao Jiang of the CCC in Nepal said. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, a wide range of digital programmes including Tai Chi training, cooking class, artistic performances, festival celebrations and tourism promotion have been organised.

The CCC in Nepal, at present, by targeting Nepalis audience, has co-organised online exhibition “QIN-The Past and Present of Terracotta Warriors” with Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. This online exhibition combines history, culture, and technology to show the cultural connotation and artistic charm of the Terracotta Warriors, the CCC officials said. Thousands of Nepalis have visited the the online exhibition that covers pictures and visual materials along with textual details about the history of the Terracotta Army in the ongoing exhibition.

The Terracotta Warriors, dubbed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World", is a large collection of life-size terracotta sculptures in battle formations, reproducing the mega imperial guard troops of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259-210BC). After being enlisted in the World Heritage List in December 1987, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum and the Terracotta Warriors have become world-famous cultural heritage, as a cultural landmark for foreign leaders and tourists visiting China.

The Terracotta Warriors includes more than 8,000 clay soldiers with distinct expressions and position in accordance to their rank and file in three pits. The pit of the Terracotta Warriors is an underground tunnel-like civil structure. That is, a large pit about 5 meters deep is dug from the ground, and a strip of parallel soil is built in the middle of the pit partition. The excavated terracotta figures fall into three major categories: infantry, cavalry, and charioteers. General soldiers do not wear crowns, while military officials wear crowns. The crowns of ordinary military officials are not the same as those of generals, and even armors are different.

The event “QIN-The Past and Present of Terracotta Warriors” is not only important to uplift understanding of Nepalis people towards Chinese history and the Chinese people’s struggle for the national pride but also a good platform to enhance interactions and friendship between the two peoples. The organiser said the show will continue till the last of July. Interested people can log on to http://nep-qin.topartsintermational.com to enjoy the online exhibition.