Terracotta army invades British Museum

After years of planning, the British Museum was finally able to throw open its doors yesterday on its biggest exhibition for almost four decades - the remarkable 2,000-year-old terracotta figures from the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi.

The museum disclosed yesterday that it had sold 100,000 advance tickets, almost 10 times the previous record, and with up to half a million visitors expected before the exhibition closes in April, long early morning queues reminiscent of the BM's Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972 are anticipated.

For British tourists who have already made the trip to xi'an to see the 1,000 life-size warriors that have been repaired and restored so far, the 20 figures on loan to London - a dozen warriors, three horses, acrobats, musicians and civil officials - may have less impact. But Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum, hopes that what the exhibition lacks in numbers will be made up by the majesty of the individual pieces.