A tiny jade eagle throws up interesting connections to China's ancient civilization. Now on show at the National Treasures Exhibition at the Millennium Art Museum, this jade bird dates back to 3,500 BC. Its wings are spread out and shaped into two pig heads at the end and it is small enough to fit one's palm.

"Archaeologists hypothesize that the eagle was sketched as flying towards the sun carrying the pig heads as sacrifice," said Wang Xudong, deputy executive director of the art museum and an expert on cultural relics.

"Yet, there are entirely different explanations for it," he said.

The jade bird has been subject to much study, he added.

Unearthed in Anhui Province, it made its public debut in Beijing on Tuesday, together with 212 other pieces and will be open for viewing until June 15.

Co-sponsored by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Beijing municipal government, the exhibition is described as a visual treat of China's finest cultural relics.

The items on display come from more than 50 museums across the nation, and have just returned after being exhibited in Japan between last September and this March.

The exhibits are divided into two categories - one on Chinese Buddhist art and the other on major archaeological finds of the past four years.

Buddhism was introduced to China in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).

"We offer the audience an insight into a 1,000-year development of Buddhist art here in China, following the chronological order," said Wang Xudong.

He calls special attention to one exhibit entitled "The Base of Money Tree with Buddha Image."

Barely 21 centimeters, it comes from the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). The money tree broke when it was excavated in Sichuan Province in 1942.

"However, the seated figure on the base was left and verified as the oldest sculpture of Buddha ever found in the country," Wang said.

This relic reflects the beginning of Buddhism's spread in ancient China.

As Buddhism's influence grew and the religion became integrated with Chinese philosophy, more temples enshrined with images of Buddha were built.

These images took on Chinese features increasingly and were carved in stone, copper and marble.

Buddhist art and reliquary worship prospered during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), reaching its peak under the rule of Empress Wu Zetian (690-705).

That Buddhist art flourished at this time can be seen from the items on display.

The one of a kind, an iron sculpture of a seated Maitreya, unearthed in 1994 from the Jingfa Buddhist Temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is one such example.

Three exquisite sets in gold, silver and copper, which nestle 14 reliquaries, grab the viewers' attention.

They lay buried under a tower in the Dayun Buddha Temple in Gansu Province from AD 694, until they were unearthed by local farmers in 1964.

Astonishing finds

The exhibits from the section on new archaeological discoveries arouse even greater astonishment. For instance, the three terracotta figures of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) are different from the more well-known ones excavated from the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC). The figures on display represent an official, a boatman and an acrobat, all excavated after 1999.

Chen Lie, a specialist from the National Museum of China, said: "The bureaucrat takes on a modest appearance with a soft expression and his two hands hidden in sleeves."

"And he must have carried a knife with him. We know that people carved words on bamboo sheets in the Qin Dynasty, before paper was invented and civil officials needed to carry a knife around in case they needed to make corrections," Chen added.

Other valuable exhibits include a Qin bronze crane, bearing testimony to the techniques of color drawing and foundry that reached their peak at the time; and the famed Jade Shroud Sewn with Gold Wire dating back to the Western Han Dynasty. The latter comprises an astounding 4,000 jade pieces threaded together.

The Millennium Art Museum is showcasing such valuable relics for only the second time since 2001.

"Every year, about 500 official excavations take place around the country, and archaeologists file some 7,000 reports on the latest discoveries," said Wang Xudong. "These help refresh those historical records."

The museum hopes to be able to hold similar exhibitions every four years, Wang said, and is inviting suggestions on what audiences would like to see.

Meanwhile, 12 specialists on cultural relics will offer authenticating services free of charge on May 3 and 4.

At most 800 people per day - with one item per person -will be able to avail themselves of this service.

(China Daily April 30, 2005)