The British Museum has announced plans to increase its temporary exhibition space in preparation for next year’s major exhibition on China, called The First Emperor.

Temporary listed building consent is being sought by the museum’s trustees to convert the Round Reading Room into a temporary exhibition space to accommodate the largest ever loan of the famous Xi’an terracotta warriors from September 2007 to April 2008.

The Reading Room would then be returned to its original state.

Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, said: “The First Emperor exhibition will take place during the Beijing Cultural Olympiad. It will form an integral part of the partnership between the British Museum and Chinese cultural institutions.

“It will provide an unmissable, once in a lifetime opportunity for the public to understand China’s past, present and future. We want as many people as possible to see it.”

The huge success of two recent exhibitions – Michelangelo Drawings: Closer to the Master and Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient Persia – prompted the move in a bid to allow more visitors access than the current capacity permits.

The museum’s trustees are also considering different possibilities for a new permanent exhibition space for 2010. Details: www.britishmuseum.co.uk