Almost half a million people are expected to visit a stunning exhibition featuring the famous Terracotta Warriors which is to open to the public in Liverpool on Friday.

Ahead of the opening, curators from National Museums Liverpool (NML) and a team from the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Center were on Tuesday putting the finishing touches to an amazing display of artifacts shipped to Liverpool from Xi'an.

The exhibition, China's First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors, will continue at World Museum, Liverpool until Oct 28.

NML director David Fleming said: "The Terracotta Warriors exhibition is surely one of the most important exhibitions we have ever held here. We cannot wait to share this spectacular show with the city's people and welcome visitors from across the UK to witness this unmissable opportunity to see some of the Terracotta Army up close."

Fleming said the exhibition was the biggest event held at NML since his arrival 16 years ago.

The exhibition features ten life-size figures, including a terracotta cavalry horse as part of a collection of more than 180 spectacular artifacts.

Wu Haiyun, project manager at Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, told Xinhua: "We are delighted to bring this exhibition to Liverpool, featuring some artifacts never previously displayed in Britain."

"I hope people who visit the exhibition will have a better understanding of our history and culture. I also hope it will inspire people to visit China, and also Shaanxi where they can see the Terracotta Warriors in the area where they were discovered," said Wu.

British culture secretary Matt Hancock said: "The Terracotta Warriors are an iconic cultural treasure produced by ancient China. Bringing them to Liverpool is a real ...testament to the strength of the UK-China cultural relationship. This exhibition will boost tourism to the region and attract visitors from across the UK and Europe."