Shan says that the exhibition is in the Palace of Prolonging Happiness in the museum to go with Yan's crossover between East and West.

The unfinished aquarium in the courtyard of this palace is the only remaining Western-style structure in the Forbidden City built during imperial years. Construction of the aquarium was halted after the Chinese monarchy ended in early 1912.

"Yan was also a great educator," says Shan. "He promoted education reform and nurtured a large number of talented people to serve the country."

Yan was one of the founders of Fudan University in Shanghai and the first president of Peking University, when the college changed its name to its current one following the fall of the Qing Dynasty.

In 2001, when President Xi Jinping was the governor of Fujian province, he compiled a book of Yan's thoughts.

Then, Xi compared Yan's translated books to "a megalith thrown into backwater".

"First of all, Yan is a lifetime patriot," he wrote in the preface of the book.

"All his explorations, efforts and successes are inseparable from his patriotism and aspiration to serve his country."

Contact the writer at wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

8:30 am-4:30 pm, through Jan 28, closed on Mondays. Palace of Prolonging Happiness (Yanxi Gong) in the eastern wing of the Palace Museum. 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. Online reservations of tickets for the museum are necessary and available at www.dpm.org.cn.