A green-faced terracotta warrior made his debut in the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi'an on January 21, easy to spot among his grey-colored comrades-in-arms crafted more than 2,000 years ago.

The soldier with the green face was discovered last year in the 2nd pit of the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

"This is the only green-faced warrior we have found since over 1,300 terracotta warriors were unearthed over the past two decades. The other warriors have pink faces," said Wu Yongqi, curator of the museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Archaeologists were surprised to find the warrior, who is posed in a kneeling position and shooting an arrow. His face has a greencast, while his hair and eyes are black.

Some experts have concluded that the green face is simply a craftsman's mistake, but others believe that the warrior was made to represent another race with a different color skin. No theories have been verified.

"Emperor Qin Shihuang himself was a man beyond comprehension. The terracotta warriors have yet to be studied by experts," said Wu Yongqi.

Archaeologists say the terracotta figurines were decorated in many colors including red, green, blue, yellow, purple and brown over 2,000 years ago. But because of technological problems, most of the figurines lost their colors.

Chinese and German scientists have developed a technique to prevent the color of the terracotta warriors from fading.

Qin Shihuang's tomb has been called "the eighth wonder of the world." The terracotta warriors and horses were discovered in Lintong County of Shaanxi Province in 1974. Since then, more than 100 chariots, 600 clay horses, 8,000 clay warriors and a large number of ancient weapons have been unearthed in three huge pits. (Xinhua)