LEXINGTON, Kentucky – More than 300 priceless Chinese artifacts tracing almost 3,000 years of history – from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1027-771 BC) through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) – will be on display from May through August at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

The horse has held a special place in the social, religious, economic and military life of China throughout its history. The exhibit – featuring many artifacts never before seen outside of China – will explore the significance of the horse in the unification of China, exchanges of equestrian culture with the western world via the Silk Road, as well as significant Chinese advancements in horse accoutrements and training techniques and the use of the horse in leisure activities.

The artifacts – valued at more than $100 million and selected from the collections of museums through the Shaanxi Province – will include . . .

* Thirteen life-sized figures from the world famous terra cotta army of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

* A Western Zhou Dynasty (circa 800 BC) and Western Han Dynasty (circa 100 BC) Chariot, both restored specifically for the exhibit.

* An outstanding selection of Western and Eastern Zhou Dynasty bronze artifacts.

* Many jade, gold, and terra cotta figures representing China’s first great Imperial period, the Han Dynasty.

* One of the largest collections of the Tang Dynasty’s (618-907 AD) tri-colored porcelain equestrian and court figures ever shown outside China.

* And a representative collection of golf, jade, terra cotta, and porcelain figures from all dynasties, spanning the Tang to the fall of the last Imperial court in 1911.

The exhibit will run from May 1 through August 31. The Kentucky Horse Park is open from 9 am to 5 pm, daily, while the exhibit will be open from 9 am to 6 pm.

“We intend to use the Imperial China exhibition as a catalyst for a summer long effort to increase economic and cultural ties between Kentucky and Chinca,” said John Nicholson, executive director. “We hope to make a visit to the exhibition a complete cultural experience encompassing music, dance, food and lectures.”

The summer will also feature a number of different horse-related events in_Kentucky.

Of course, there is the Kentucky_Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6 as well as Equitana USA: The World’s Fair of Equestrian_Sports_in June.

And then there is the Kentucky_State Fair in August (which will attract about 600,000 people), which features the World Championship Horse Show.

If you plan on vacationing in Kentucky and visiting the horse park and exhibit, check out the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau web site at www.visitlex.com for vacation packages and other events going on during the summer. Also, visit the Kentucky Horse Park web site at www.kyhorsepark.com for further information on the park and exhibit.