Replicas of Terracotta Warriors are displayed at 5,000-Year Culture Expo Park in Jiangsuprovince. Provided to China Daily
The Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, ishome to the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). However,some 1,000 kilometers away, full-scale replicas of these awe-inspiring figures are on display at5,000-Year Culture Expo Park in Anqing, Jiangsu province.
The unauthorized exhibition has sparked headlines in the Chinese media and triggered a debateabout whether the display constitutes an intellectual property infringement.
The replica group of more than 1,000 terracotta figurines made by a Xi'an company is located ata scenic site called 1,000-Year Dream within the expo park in Taihu county, and covers some667 square meters, Yin Zhaoping, CEO of the park, was quoted as saying on the China NationalRadio website.
The site also includes other attractions such as replicas of the Great Wall and Mount Huaguo, orFlowers and Fruit Mountain, home of the legendary Monkey King in the classic novel Journey tothe West. Visitors outside of Taihu county can visit the park for 120 yuan ($17), while those fromthe county can enter free of charge.
"We have no intention of infringing any intellectual property rights," the Xi'an-based ChineseBusiness View newspaper quoted Yin as saying.
A sculpture of Qinshihuang, the first emperor of a united China in the Qin Dynasty, standing onthe replica of the Great Wall, distinguishes the Anqing exhibition from the real one in Xi'an.
Unlike many other operators in Xi'an who cheated tourists by claimingthat their fake Terracotta Warriors were real, Yin said "we have neverclaimed that our place is Pit No 1" of the Emperor Qinshihuang'sMausoleum Site Museum.
"Everyone knows that the real Terracotta Warriors are in Xi'an. What wedo is to present the ancient emperor's resolution to unite the country."
Wei Guo, an IP attorney in Anhui, said in his written legal opinions offeredto the park that he doubted if the museum has the right to use culturalheritage as a means through which to apply for trademarks, and thussubsequently close the park's exhibition.
Yet Liu Zhihan, an associate researcher of an IP research center at theChina University of Political Science and Law, told the Chinese BusinessView that the expo park has profited from the display of counterfeitterracotta figurines, which has affected the museum's business andviolated the Unfair Competition Law.
The museum claims in a public statement on its official website that it possesses all legal rightsto the names "Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum" and "Museum of Qinshihuang'sTerracotta Army", and has the exclusive right to use all related registered trademarks.
The statement cited the Anqing site as one example of an unauthorized exhibition and said themuseum reserves the right to take legal action over the issue.
Hou Ningbin, head of the museum, told CNR that "we had no prior knowledge of, nor gaveconsent to, the Anqing exhibition".
"Our attorney will send a lawyer's letter to the park's operators to inform them of the violation. Wewill then look to enter discussions with them to resolve the issue."
