The ancient Terracotta Warriors exhibition is in place in the capital ahead of the public opening this weekend.
The $2.6 million exhibition includes eight ancient Chinese soldiers, two full-size horses and more than 160 other Chinese artefacts.
People came across shards of pottery from the 2,300-year-old warriors in Shaanxi province in 1974, after which they alerted an archaeologist.
There's believed to be 8000 soldiers in the underground army in total, with around 3000 excavated.
The warriors were buried to guard the tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.
"We estimate that 100,000 people will take this special opportunity to see the authentic terracotta warriors in person, generating an estimated $33 million economic benefit to Wellington," Te Papa CEO Geraint Martin said in a press release.
The exhibition will run from December 15 to April 22 next year.
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