Archeologists have unearthed a terra-cotta warrior armored in yellow, green and white from an ancient tomb in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern Sichuan Province.

The badly damaged figurine, with folded arms, glaring eyes and a imposing look on its red face, was estimated to be 60 centimeters tall, the tallest of its kind ever unearthed in this region.

However, the warrior had been damaged during excavation and the red tassels on its hat and the lower parts of its legs were nowhere to be found, said archeologists. "What is left of the figurine is about 50 centimeters tall."

But the archeologists said they were happy to find the glazed  surface and clean-cut feature of the hollow figurine had been well preserved.

The warrior was one of the six figurines unearthed from an ancient tomb that dates back to the Song Dynasty (420 - 479), over 1,500 years ago, but the other five, including terra-cotta warriors and civilians, were only 20 to 30 centimeters in height.

The tomb, which was found by construction workers at a site in Shufang village in the outskirts of Chengdu, had been damaged before the workers reported their discovery to the local cultural heritage administration.

"The six figurines had apparently been buried with the dead, as was the tradition in those days," said archeologists, who had filled back the tomb to preserve its original outlook.

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2003)