XI'AN, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archeologists have unearthed about 120 more clay figures in their latest round of excavations at the terracotta army site that surrounds the tomb of the nation's first emperor in the northwestern Shaanxi Province.

Most of the newly found terracotta warriors were broken when unearthed from the No. 1 pit in Lintong county, 35 km east of Xi'an, where excavation started in June last year, said Xu Weihong, head of the excavation team, in an interview with Xinhua Tuesday.

He said it was therefore hard to tell the exact number of the clay figures.

No. 1 pit is the first and largest of three pits at the site. It also had suffered the worst damage, so archeologists did not pin much hope on the excavation.

"It's a pleasant surprise, however, to find some of them were painted pink, red, white, gray or lilac," said Xu.

Xu and his colleagues used special chemicals to preserve the clay figures' original colors and after taking photographs, wrapped them in plastic film for protection.

Richly colored clay figures were unearthed from the mausoleum of Qinshihuang, the first emperor of a united China, in the previous two excavations, but once they were exposed to the air they began to lose their luster and turned an oxidized grey.

The newly found figures were between 1.8 and 2 meters tall, a mystery archeologists are still trying to understand. "We're not certain whether people who lived in the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.) were actually that tall, or the craftsmen exaggerated their height," said Xu.

An army officer stood out in the new army. Except for the officer's broken head, it was one of the best preserved figures unearthed this time, he said.

Besides the terracotta warriors, archeologists also found 12 clay horses, two chariots, drums and piles of charcoal that was believed to be grain from the ancient times, said Zhang Tianzhu, deputy head of the excavation team.

On the two chariots, archeologists found three "suitcases" that were made of a fabric similar to silk. Similar fabric was found on the drum, too, said Xu. "It provides important clues to further research on textiles and industry in the Qin Dynasty."

The No. 1 pit was believed to contain about 6,000 life-sized terracotta figures, more than 1,000 of which were found in previous excavations. Experts believed the emperor had hoped the army would help him rule in the afterlife.

The terracotta army was discovered in 1974 by peasants who were digging a well.

The first formal excavation of the site lasted for six years from 1978 to 1984 and produced 1,087 clay figures. A second excavation, in 1985, lasted a year but was cut short for technical reasons.

The terracotta army, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in December 1987, has turned Xi'an into one of China's major tourist attractions.