It's where civilization's very first tools from Africa, crafted nearly 2 million years ago, can be found along with contemporary art from all around the world. Zhao Caixia, a real estate company clerk, had a memorable time on Saturday at the Capital Museum in western Beijing.

"One of the first, lucky visitors to British Museum's 'Treasures of the World's Cultures' exhibition, I was thrilled to have the rare chance to listen to the wonderful lectures given by directors of the two museums," she recalled.

"I may pay a second visit to the Capital Museum for a careful look at the precious exhibits since, for the time being, I find no time to travel afar to cities like London, Paris and New York to satisfy my curiosity for prestigious art museums."

British Museum's touring "Treasures of the World's Cultures" exhibition opened on March 18 at a 1,400-square-meter hall in the newly-built Capital Museum. It will run through June 5.

Co-sponsored by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the Hong Kong-based Standard Chartered Bank, the exhibition is "the first fruit of a cultural exchange programme between the two museums, which was settled in September 2005 when Wang Qishan, mayor of Beijing, was visiting London," Guo Xiaoling, director of the Capital Museum, told China Daily.

And it is the first time that the world's oldest national public museum is showcasing part of its collections in Beijing.

"We trust that the Chinese public will enjoy the chance to explore this selection of world cultures. And we hope that it will mark a further step to be followed by many more in the friendly collaboration between our two cities and our two countries," said Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, during last weekend's opening ceremony.

Early in 1999, the British Museum participated for the first time in a small exhibition in East China's metropolis of Shanghai.

But the ongoing exhibition in Beijing is the largest and most comprehensive ever held in China by the British Museum, said MacGregor.

"Over the past few months, we have put all our heart into the preparations for this grand exhibition," said Guo.

"Most Chinese have only gained a vague idea of world art through texts and photo albums. This time, I believe they will have an intimate encounter with world art with their own eyes."

A wealth of treasures

The British Museum was founded by an act of the Parliament of UK in 1753, the first national museum in any country.

The aim was "to gather into one building objects from the whole world, past and present, so that visitors from across the world could compare the ways in which different societies had organized themselves and different peoples had addressed the common problems of humanity," said MacGregor.

After at least 253 years of compiling and research, the collection today allows the whole world to look at what it has made, he said.

The "Treasures" exhibition reflects this global reach and supports the museum's founding principles. It is one example of the British Museum's extensive programme of loans across the UK and the world, MacGregor said.

Before its appearance in China, the "Treasures of the World's Cultures" exhibition had toured Japan and South Korea over the past three years, both of which turned out to be huge successes, said Jane Portal, assistant keeper of the British Museum's Department of Asia.

When exhibited in four Japanese cities, including Tokyo, the exhibition drew more than 1.3 million visitors in October 2003 and August 2004; and in South Korea, it attracted an average of 3,400 people to the Seoul Art Center every day, she said.

Priceless exhibits

With 272 priceless articles, including sculptures, paintings, jewellery, porcelain, and stone artifacts that have been collected from the world's five continents by the museum since it was founded in 1753, the grand exhibition covers a vast span of time from 2 million years ago to the present day.

The treasures on show are divided into 13 parts based on their origins and dates, such as ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, Europe in the Middle Ages, and modern art.

It documents the magnificently diverse expressions created by different groups and individuals.

Among the exhibits are brilliant examples of Egyptian mummy boards and portraits, exquisite Assyrian reliefs, marble statuary and coinage from Greece and Rome. There's also a replica of the famous Sutton Hoo helmet, the Rosetta Stone from Egypt (a slab dating back to around 200 BC), Islamic Astrolabes, mosque lamps and hanging scrolls from Asia. Visitors can gaze at plaques from Benin, a Maori war whistle from New Zealand, drawings by Leonardo and Raphael, and some prints by Rembrandt and Goya.

It also features the oldest object in the British Museum a stone chopping tool from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, believed to have been made nearly 2 million years ago and so far the first known technological invention by human beings, said Jane Portal, who acts as a key co-coordinator for the Beijing exhibition.

Capital Museum has welcomed the treasures on loan from the British Museum with newly-purchased showcases, each at least 100,000 yuan (US$12,330), which are hyper-sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.

Moreover, about 50 guides, including 40 recruited university students who have received some training at the Capital Museum, will serve the visitors; electronic audio guides, either in Chinese or in English, are also available.

Guo said that to help promote the knowledge of world art, the Capital Museum has also arranged six free lectures on the topic, to be delivered by Chinese scholars, during the exhibition.

Students and senior citizens aged 60 and above can buy the 40-yuan (US$5) ticket for the special show at a 50 per cent discount.

Guo estimated that more than 400,000 people in Beijing are expected to see 2 million years of history and art with their own eyes.

(China Daily March 24, 2006)