Warriors to the Golden Gate

"There have been many new discoveries in past years, so we're able to present to the American public an exhibition that incorporates multimedia, when appropriate, to enhance (the audience's) understanding, as well as offer a dynamic element," he says.

One of the new attractions is a life-sized bronze bird, which visitors can see fly through thanks to the magic of the app.

Another highlight is a bronze bell which sings to visitors.

"We cannot strike the bell to make it ring because it's a very precious object," Xu says. "So we replicated the bell sound by using 3-D and high acoustic technology."

Those technologies, he says, "had not been developed years ago, for the first exhibition in San Francisco".

Showcasing one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in modern times, the exhibition's opening weekend attendance set a museum record, beating the previous attendance by more than 60 percent. Since then, it has been drawing 2,000 visitors a day.

The museum's anti-earthquake design is expected to protect the exhibits from being damaged in a tremor, which could possibly occur in San Francisco.

The museum is designed to survive earthquakes as strong as the major 1906 San Francisco earthquake with less than 1 percent damage, according to authorities. The building is supported by more than 200 base isolators and specialized shock absorbers.

A moat has also been dug around the perimeter of the building, to allow it to move freely in an earthquake.

"I am proud to say that we are one of the safest buildings in San Francisco," Xu says.

Vince Avalos, the Asian Art Museum's mount-maker, also built support structures to secure every terracotta warrior, protecting them from seismic activity.

He traveled to the exhibition's previous venue in Minneapolis, months ago, to take measurements for the mounts used in the San Francisco presentation. Then he handcrafted pedestals for each terracotta figure.

The mounts will accompany the warriors when they return to China, so Chinese museums can use them in future displays.

China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy is on view until May 27.