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Bowers Museum to Bring Priceless Artifacts to Southern California; Viking River Cruises a Sponsor
By Viking River Cruises
May 14, 2008, 21:56

Bowers Museum to Bring Priceless Artifacts to Southern California; Viking River Cruises a Sponsor

Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor Runs May 18 - October 12, 2008

LOS ANGELES, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking River Cruises, the world's leading river cruise line, is supporting the efforts of Orange County's prestigious Bowers Museum to bring the largest display of Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors and related artifacts outside of China to Southern California. The Bowers exhibit, which recently ended a popular 7-month run at the British Museum, opens to the public Sunday, May 18. It will remain at the Bowers for nearly 5 months before it moves on to Atlanta, Georgia for installation at the High Museum. The exhibit will also stop at Houston's Museum of Natural Science before continuing to the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall in Washington D.C.

"It has been a thrill bringing travelers to China to see the Terra Cotta Army in Xian, as well as other key attractions in China, for the past five years," said Torstein Hagen, founding chairman of Viking. "We want to help give Americans a closer look at some of the treasures China offers."

"The Bowers Museum has an outstanding history of bringing the world's finest arts and cultures to Southern California," commented Inez Wolins, Vice President of Development and Marketing for the Bowers Museum. "Our partnership with Viking River Cruises is mutually beneficial: the museum receives valuable financial and in-kind support toward the exhibition, and the corporation aligns itself with a significant national tour and wider audiences to help spread the word about their itineraries in China. It's a win-win situation."

The Terra Cotta Army was created for Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China, who unified the Chinese states into a single country, worked to standardize the Chinese language, created a national road system and began construction on China's Great Wall. During his 38-year reign, from 247 B.C. until his death in 210 B.C., he arranged for thousands of workers to construct an elaborate mausoleum for him, complete with an army to allow him to rule in the afterlife. After his death he was interred with his clay army and a vast collection of riches. Soon a peasant revolt swept through China and eradicated all traces of his reign, including the tomb; eventually even the legends about it were forgotten. Then, in 1974, local farmers digging a well came upon a terra cotta head, thus discovering a nearly 2,200-year-old archeological treasure.

Viking River Cruises, founded in 1997, began offering "cruisetours" in China in 2004. Each of these journeys includes a special trip to Xian to see the mausoleum where some 8,000 Terra Cotta Warriors were buried thousands of years ago. Travelers enter a large hanger erected over the archeological site and view the terra cotta infantrymen, archers and horses from a series of catwalks, thus enjoying the large scale of the site as well as the opportunity to appreciate the craftsmanship and individualized detail applied to each of the faces.

"Seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors is one of the highlights of all our China itineraries," Hagen continued. "But for those who have not yet been able to travel to China to view the Terra Cotta Army, the Bowers exhibit will provide an idea of the incredible workmanship that went into creating it. If, after exploring the exhibit, people decide to come to China to see Emperor Qin's army and China's many other treasures, that would be ideal," said Hagen with a smile.

Viking River Cruises offers four different China itineraries in 2008; each includes visits to Beijing and Shanghai and a deluxe Yangtze River Cruise through the scenic Three Gorges Area in addition to a stay in Xian to visit the Terra Cotta Army. The 12-day Imperial Jewels of China covers the highlights mentioned; the 16-day China's Cultural Delights includes extra days on the Yangtze River traveling to rarely seen but fascinating destinations; the 17-day Silk Road Adventure follows in the footsteps of Marco Polo and other explorers to multicultural destinations like Turpan, Kashgar and Urumqi; and the 16-day Roof of the World includes a few days in beautiful Lhasa, Tibet.

"River cruising is an extraordinary value, especially during times when the dollar is weak vis-a-vis other currencies," Hagen explained. "Guests pay for their all-inclusive itineraries in dollars, and once paid in full their price is locked in with no worries about currency fluctuations, fuel costs or price adjustments. Our China ships are the best -- every stateroom has a private balcony and the cuisine is amazing -- and we stay in all 5-star or best-in-city hotels."

"We are proud to help a fine institution like the Bowers Museum to bring the most comprehensive exhibit of Terra Cotta Warriors and related artifacts ever seen outside China to California," added Hagen. "We hope many people will go to the Bowers Museum to enjoy it."

About the Bowers Museum

Founded in 1936, the Bowers Museum is an internationally celebrated institution of art and culture dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of fine arts from around the world. To achieve its mission to "enrich lives through the world's finest arts and cultures," the Bowers offers exhibitions, lectures, art classes, travel programs, children's art and music education programs, and other community programs. Its guiding philosophy is to help people learn about other cultures through their arts, and offer a greater understanding of ourselves and appreciation of the world in which we live. For more information, call 714-567-3600 or visit http://www.bowers.org/.

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