Collection Leaves Forbidden City for the First Time

A collection of national treasures has ended its public debut outside of the former Imperial Palace. The exhibition, held at the Museum of Chinese Folk Art here in Beijing, was a big hit among museum-goers.

The items on display here have never before left the Palace Museum, with 80 percent of the exhibits never having been shown to the public before.

The exhibition features jade, coloured glaze, gold and silver vessels, with some bronze ware and porcelain also on display. The oldest pieces were created in the Shang Dynasty around 1700 B.C. and the most recent from the late Qing Dynasty.

Chen Siguang, curator of Museum of Chinese Folk Art, said, "This is a precious piece from the Ming Dynasty, some 600 years ago. It’s a teapot made out of a whole piece of jade. You can see some important totems of Chinese culture on it: a dragon and a phoenix. It bears the exquisite techniques of ancient artisans. "

The exhibition lasted for a month. And now after their vacation, the pieces will be carefully transported back home.