NEW YORK - The world famous Terracotta Warriors of China will go on display in New York City, showcasing 10 authentic, life-size clay soldiers and their armor created more than 2,000 years ago.

At a press preview held on Wednesday, Discovery Times Square, a local museum and the event organizer, said that the "Warriors: Defenders of China's First Emperor" exhibition will open to the public on Friday and continue to the summer.

It features 10 soldiers from the terracotta army unearthed in 1974 in Northwest China's Shaanxi province. With a supposed mission of protecting China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang in his afterlife, an army of nearly 2,000 full-sized terracotta warriors and horses was created and buried in three satellite pits near the emperor's splendid mausoleum over 2,000 years ago.

In addition to the warriors, the exhibition also presents a set of gates from an ancient Han burial chamber, which were never before publicly displayed in the world, and 20 other artifacts shown in the United States for the first time. There will be a total of 200 artifacts including tools, jewelry and sculpted figures, according to the organizer.

"It's a great honor to have the opportunity to work with these legendary artifacts and let visitors experience a time that was so influential in shaping China's history," said James Sanna, CEO of Discovery Times Square, which partnered with the China Institute, the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Shaanxi Provincial Museum Association to produce the exhibition.