People living some 8,000 years ago in regions along the Weihe River in Northwest China produced the earliest painted pottery works in northern China, and the most creative examples were those made in prehistoric cultures developed in Gansu province.

Heavenly Beauty, Emerging Rays, an exhibition set to open at the National Museum of China on Dec 25, will zoom in on the brilliance of Gansu's archaic pottery-making history which lasted some 5,500 years.

Objects on show will not only demonstrate the imagination of ancient Chinese but also provide a glimpse into the neolithic and bronze-age cultures that emerged in the Weihe River areas.

The exhibition, which will run for a year, will gather collections from the National Museum as well as several museums and archaeological institutions in Gansu.