Precious Chinese artifacts to be exhibited in Canada

Canadians will have the chance to savor China's rich cultural heritage at an exhibition to open Friday featuring some of China's most precious artifacts.

    "Treasures from China," to be shown at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC), will display China's long history through a chronological setting of artifacts dating back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, through to the end of imperial rule in 1911.

    The exhibition will feature a dazzling array of 120 objects, including jade carvings, lacquer ware, paintings, calligraphy, silk textiles, ceramics and items fashioned from bronze, gold and silver.

    The variety of the artifacts, selected by the National Museum of China (NMC) under an exchange agreement with Canada, reflects the depth of China's artistic genius and the breadth of its social and cultural history, said CMC President and CEO Victor Rabinovitch on Thursday.

    The display is expected to set several new records. Most of the objects had never before traveled outside China due to their cultural significance, 23 of which are listed in China as First Class artifacts, the highest classification an artifact can enjoy.

    One of the objects to be put on display is a stone tool crafted by human hands half a million years ago, and will also set a new record as the oldest human artifact ever shown at the CMC.

    Some objects are abroad this time only because the NMC is undergoing renovation, and they may never travel aboard again, said Dong Qi, deputy president of the NMC.

    This will be the first time that Chinese artifacts are displayed in Canada in a systematic and comprehensive way, Dong said, adding it will surely promote Canadians' understanding of China's history and culture.

    Rabinovitch expected that the exhibition, which is scheduled to run till Oct. 28, would draw as many as 150,000 visitors, pledging the CMC will try its best to satisfy visitors' curiosity.