3. Learn about China, and china

China's English name, minus the capital C, is a term for ceramics, particularly porcelain. Many believe this is because the country has been a world leader in the production of fine ceramics for centuries, with the most famous examples including blue-and-white pottery.

Thanks to the ancient Silk Road, the country's precious porcelain was sold to countries around the world. Now the National Museum of China is offering a brief review of the ancient maritime trade in ceramics. Titled A Sail Over Miles, the ongoing exhibition featuring nearly 300 antique objects navigates the manufacturing, export and shipping routes from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Some of the objects on show were excavated from the wrecks of sunken cargo ships that had been under the sea for a long time, such as Nanhai No 1, a Chinese merchant carrier dating back more than 800 years.

The exhibition also shows Japanese, Korean and British ceramics, reflecting the influence of China's porcelain-making techniques in local industries.

If you go:

9:00 am-4:00 pm, No. 16, East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing (on the east side of Tian'anmen Square) 北京東城區東長安街16號天安門廣場東側,國家博物館