AN exhibition of China’s Terracotta Warriors was a hit contributing 78 million pounds (US$100.5 million) to Liverpool’s economy, the exhibitor announced last week.

National Museums Liverpool on Oct. 24 revealed that its blockbuster exhibition, “China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors,” was the most popular exhibition ever held by the organization, and had contributed almost 80 million pounds to the Liverpool City Region’s economy throughout its run.

The exhibition was part of a program of cultural excellence held across the city of Liverpool in 2018 which included the Biennial, Tate Liverpool’s 30th birthday and public celebrations through the Liverpool 2018 initiative to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the city’s identification as the European Capital of Culture.

As “China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors” drew to a close Sunday, the latest figures showed that more than 600,000 people had seen the exhibition in Liverpool since it opened just over eight months ago Feb. 9, which far exceeded the expectation of around half a million visitors.

That figure includes more than 20,000 schoolchildren on educational visits and an incredible 97,000 visitors on group tours. The museum’s shop has reported sales of 30,980 Terracotta Warrior fridge magnets and 31,119 replica Terracotta Warriors, including 13 replica life size warriors.

Laura Pye, director of National Museums Liverpool, said: “We opened ‘China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors’ in a wonderful year of culture for Liverpool, with another great Biennial and Tate Liverpool’s 30th birthday. We’re so proud to be part of the fabric of Liverpool’s rich culture and to have delivered the Terracotta Warriors exhibition for our visitors this year.”

Sir David Henshaw, chairman of National Museums Liverpool, said: “More than three quarters of visitors told us that our Terracotta Warriors exhibition was the main reason for their visit to Liverpool. We are delighted to have made such a significant contribution to the visitor economy of the Liverpool City Region,” he added, describing it as an “once in a lifetime experience” for visitors to view the exhibition.

An estimated 36 percent of visitors to National Museums Liverpool venues were visiting from outside the city region. Using this data, National Museums Liverpool estimates the Terracotta Warriors exhibition has driven around 208,220 overnight visits to Liverpool throughout the exhibition from February to October, and a wider contribution to the local economy of over 78 million pounds. (Xinhua)