Shaped lanterns light up to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year in Sydney

People visit lanterns in the shape of Chinese Terracotta Warriors, which are lit up to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, in Sydney, Australia, on Feb 13, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore and Chinese artist Xia Nan jointly turned on the lights of the lanterns of Terracotta Warriors, one of the most breathtaking components in the history of Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival celebrations on Friday night.

The Lanterns of The Terracotta Warriors were illuminated for the first time in Australia at the 19th Sydney Chinese New Year Festival launch at Dawes Point.

"The City of Sydney is delighted to present this wonderful artwork in Australia for the first time as part of our 2015 Chinese New Year Festival," said Moore.

"Sydneysiders and visitors will be enchanted by the lanterns, which will complement the iconic view of our stunning harbor and Opera House."

The massive installation features 90 warriors standing 2.1 meters tall, along with two warrior horses, and will light up Hickson Road Reserve during this year's festival from Feb 13 to 22. The warriors shine in red, green, yellow and blue and they are fashioned out of fabric and wire.

The artwork was created for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 by a team of Chinese artists, including Xia Nan. It was inspired by the famous army of terracotta warriors, and uses traditional Chinese lantern designs to re-imagine the awe-inspiring historic discovery.

The Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors exhibition, located at Dawes Point, has previously only been shown in China and Britain.