Exhibits from the exhibition "Treasures of the World's Cultures" in the Capital Museum in Beijing. [File photos]

1. Exhibition "Treasures of the World's Cultures"

March 18 - June 5, 2006

The British Museum and Capital Museum in Beijing

The British Museum lent 272 artifacts to the Capital Museum for an 80-day exhibition. The launch marked the first time the 253-year-old British Museum, the world's oldest national public museum, had showcased some of its collection in the capital.

The exhibition covered a vast time span from 2 million years ago to the modern day, including sculptures, paintings, jewelry, porcelain, and stone artifacts from all over the world. Before its appearance in China, the exhibition had toured Japan and South Korea over the previous three years but did not include any Chinese artifacts.