Even for Chinese history fans who frequently visit museums, it is uncommon to see such a large group of Chinese national treasures in a single exhibition.

In the exhibition, there is cong, the 5,000-year-old ceremonial jade article from Liangzhu in Zhejiang province, large oracle bones, the earliest-known written Chinese characters dating back 3,000 years, and pages from Yongle Dadian, the world's largest encyclopedia on paper, from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Even Greece and Egypt, two non-Asian countries with great ancient civilizations, have loaned artifacts to the exhibition due to their close links and mutual influences with Asia throughout history.

Many of the exhibits reflect the prosperity of the ancient network of trade routes traversing the continent.