A collection of precious duplicates of ancient thangka and contemporary artworks from Tibet's Sakya, some of which are being exhibited to the public for the first time, are currently on show at the Shanghai History Museum and Shanghai Xuhui Art Museum.

"Tibetan culture is an important part of traditional Chinese culture and thangka is one of the most representative art forms of Tibet," said Zhou Qunhua, director of the Shanghai History Museum, at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on Saturday.

Tibetan thangka is a traditional painting done on cotton, silk or paper and usually themed on Tibetan religion, history, politics, culture and life. The materials used by thangka artists include treasured metals such as gold, natural mineral pigments as well as some plant colors.