Breathing life into relics

The wine vessel Minfanglei was obtained by Hunan Provincial Museum in 2014 after being lost overseas for nearly a century. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An upcoming variety show on China Central Television will bring together 27 Chinese "stars". But they are not people.

Last week, the national TV station said that it will release National Treasure toward the end of 2017.

The show will feature three cultural relics from each of the nine most important museums in the country and reveal behind-the-scene stories about them.

For example, film stars and other celebrities will be used to talk about the legends surrounding the artifacts. And, more such techniques from variety shows will be used in the program, says Yu Lei, chief producer of National Treasure.

But Yu says there are more surprises in store.

"We want to make the cultural relics look like people who have gone through the vicissitudes of life," she says.

"They have life and character. And, they represent the Chinese spirit and values."

Yu says that viewers will feel an emotional connection with the relics.

The Palace Museum in Beijing, also known as the Forbidden City, is the flagship museum. As China's imperial palace from 1420 to 1911, the institution houses more than 1.86 million cultural relics, and Shan Jixiang, director of the museum, says that it will be a challenge to choose just three items from its collection.

"It will be a tough decision," says Shan.

"The choices have to have historical, artistic and scientific significance," Shan says.