Two well-known artists from the city of Xi’an, China visited Berlin to install more than 100 terracotta warrior replicas on a boat that traveled down the Spree River in the heart of Berlin. The art installation was part of the kick-off event where Mr. Wang Ben, painter and chairman of Xi’an Chinese Art Academy and Mr. Zhang Deyong, calligrapher from Xi’an, demonstrated their traditional Chinese art and announced the beginning of a four-day geocaching game in the city of Berlin.

“I am very happy that the ‘Xi’an Meets Berlin’ event is taking place in Berlin,” said Ms. Chu Huizi, representative from the Chinese Embassy to Germany. “This is the first time that the Terracotta Army has been presented in such an interactive form outside of China, such as an art installation or geocaching, and it’s great for Berliners to experience the magic of the Terracotta Army in this way.”

The kick-off event hosted around 100 people on a cruise down the river Spree, with a live painting demonstration from the Xi’an artists. Attendees had the opportunity to capture photos of the art installation against famous Berlin landmarks like the Reichstag and the Paul Lobe-Haus.

“I am very excited to be in Berlin sharing Xi’an with the city,” said Mr. Wang Ben, a well-known painter from Xi’an. “Art is central to Berlin’s culture and we wanted to create a unique way of presenting our city to the Berlin people. We hope that this helps to build bridges between Berlin and Xi’an and allow us to share in each other’s culture.”

Following the event, Berliners were invited to join in a geocaching game over the weekend, ending at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 9. Participants will use the locations hosted on the event website www.XianBerlin.de to find the miniature terracotta warriors hidden around Berlin. Once participants find one of the 25 hidden figures, they can publicly post to Facebook or Instagram with a photo using #XianBerlin to be entered to win a trip for two to Xi’an in 2019.

A winner will be selected and announced on December 11 following the official end of the competition.

WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:

“This is the first time that the Terracotta Army has been presented in such an interactive form outside of China, such as an art installation or geocaching, and it’s great for Berliners to experience the magic of the Terracotta Army in this way.
Once participants find one of the 25 hidden figures, they can publicly post to Facebook or Instagram with a photo using #XianBerlin to be entered to win a trip for two to Xi’an in 2019.
Two well-known artists from the city of Xi’an, China visited Berlin to install more than 100 terracotta warrior replicas on a boat that traveled down the Spree River in the heart of Berlin.