In the second century BC, the mighty armies of Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang stormed neighboring states on horseback and on foot. But recently, a detachment of life-size terra cotta warriors unearthed near Qin’s tomb invaded the US in a decidedly more 21st century fashion ¨C aboard a brown-tailed UPS 747-400 freighter.
UPS unloaded an exhibit of the 2,200- year-old Chinese terra cotta warriors, horses and other artifacts at its West coast air hub in Ontario, California, after a flight from Shanghai. Over the next two years, they’ll tour museums in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
"We’re proud that UPS has been selected to ship these fascinating and priceless artifacts from China to the United States," said Bob Lekites, president of UPS Airlines. "Th is move requires an incredible amount of planning and logistics and UPS definitely is up to the task."
Th e US-bound exhibit was packed in 42 specially-constructed crates for movement in the B747-400.