Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, Parliament Speaker Zeljko Reiner and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic were present at the event organised by Zagreb City, the City of Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in Croatia.
Last week 80 Terracotta Chinese warrior sculptures were set up for display in Zagreb’s main square in preparations for Chinese New Year celebrations. The sculptures are inspired by The Terracotta Army or the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, which is a famous collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art that was buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The army of sculptures was 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses strong when discovered in 1974, after being lost for more than two millennia.
Chinese Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in that country. It is also known as the Spring Festival that ends after fifteen days with the famous Lantern festival.