Hotan Museum officially opened to the public Monday in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The culture center converted museum is the first museum in Hotan prefecture. More than 1,300 precious cultural relics are on display, many of which tell the history of the ancient Silk Road.

Hotan, located on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin, is a historical place where East met West along the ancient "Jade Road" and Silk Road.

Hotan Museum thus enjoys the privilege of having an admirable collection of cultural relics, ranging from bronze ware, pottery, jade and coins to ancient books and specimens.

The relics on display also irrefutably prove that Xinjiang has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times.

Among them, the one most appealing to visitors is a piece of brocade with eight Chinese characters that literally read "Five stars rise in the East, benefitting China."