Rare ancient relics on display in Prague

A exhibition of rare ancient relics from China is being held in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Sponsored by Art Exhibition China and the Czech-China Friendship Association, the exhibition entitled Treasures of Ancient China is the first such in the Czech Republic, arranged with support from China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Czech Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic.

Running from Aug 8 to Nov 9 in Prague Castle, Czech's official presidential residence that is used for holding grand banquet and meeting VIPs, the exhibition displays 90 items of rare ancient Chinese heritage, of which 50 are from the Shaanxi History Museum. The items include Neolithic pottery pots, bronzes made in the Shang (16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (11th century-256 BC) Dynasties, pottery figurines made in the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206-220 BC) Dynasties, pottery figurines, gold and silver pieces, jade statues from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and porcelain, enamel work, costumes and paintings from the Ming (1368 -1644) and Qing (1644 1911) Dynasties.

As 56 percent of the exhibits are from Shaanxi, the exhibition will greatly promote the province's foreign exchanges and cooperation, as well as expand the international influence of the Shaanxi History Museum, said Zhao Rong, director of the Shaanxi provincial administration of cultural heritage.