Seven of China's world-famous terracotta warriors suffered damage in this month's devastating earthquake, state media reported on Wednesday.

The seven warriors, which all sustained only minor damage, were among 41 "precious" cultural artefacts impacted in north China's Shaanxi province in the 12 May quake, the Beijing News said.

No major cultural structure was destroyed in the quake, the paper quoted the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau as saying.

The earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan province measured 8.0 on the Richter scale and cost the lives of over 67 000 people, according to the latest official toll, making it China's worst natural disaster in a generation.

The discovery of the more than 2000-year-old terracotta warriors, buried along with China's first emperor, counts as one of the great archaeological sensations of the 20th century.

There are an estimated 8000 warriors.

AFP