A hotel under the Sheraton brand is planned to be built within the site of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, who unified China for the first time, in Xi'an city in northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The National Cultural Heritage Administration released its response to the construction plan, submitted by the provincial cultural heritage authorities, on its official website on Oct. 14.

It basically agreed, but required three issues to be checked: First, the area of water landscape should be reduced to give more space to plants. Second, the construction site must be far away from the extension line of the axis of Pit 1 of the Terracotta Army. Third, great attention must be paid to the construction process to avoid affecting the surrounding environment.

"The construction will not leave any negative influence on the cultural relics in the mausoleum site," said an official of the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, confirming that the hotel will be built at the periphery of the mausoleum site. 

"An archeological exploration was carried to make sure there are no relics buried under the construction site," said the official. "There was also an assessment to ensure the project won't affect the environment."

This was the project's second submission for examination and approval by higher authorities.

Emperor Qinshihuang, who lived about 2,200 years ago, was the founder of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) and was the first emperor of a unified China. The Terracotta Army unearthed in the 1970s is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting his armies buried in his mausoleum. This was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

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