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.

A mummy from ancient Egypt is one of the exhibits. [newsphoto]

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 Centre every day, she said.

Priceless exhibits

With 272 priceless articles, including sculptures, paintings, jewellery, porcelain, and stone artefacts 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-ordinator 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 03/23/2006 page13)