The Chinese civilization is to star in an ambitious, four-part exhibition spanning over two millennia of its culture and history, which will open Saturday in the northern Italian city of Treviso.

The first part of the exhibition, or "the Birth of the Celestial Empire," gives an account of the period from the unification of China by the first Emperor Qin Shi Huang in BC 221 to 960 AD in the middle of China's Golden Age, said Diana Bracco, head of the Lombardy industrialists association Assolombardo.     

About 200 pieces of antiques found along the Silk Road and gathered from over 60 museums in China, will be on show. Many of them have never been shown outside China before.

The second part, entitled "the Treasure of the Mongols," deals with the history from 960 to 1368. The exposition will get under way in 2007.

The third part of the show, or "the Splendor of the Mings" to be staged in 2009, focuses on the Ming (1368-1644), a dynasty created by a peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Mongols.

The final phase, set for 2011, will trace the rise and decline of the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty which lasted until 1911.

"Culture has always linked China and the West, China and Italy. Cultural heritage is therefore a perfect platform for starting to bring two worlds together," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2005)