Once scattered around the world, scrolls of the 300-year-old Chinese painting "The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll VI" are going on display in their entirety for the first time. Sotheby's Hong Kong will present the masterpiece this weekend before auctioning a collection of Chinese classical paintings on October 8.

The Chinese masterpiece comprises 12 scrolls measuring over 200 meters. Created by court painters, they depict a tour that the Kangxi Emperor (1654-1722) made in 1689 across south China to inspect flood controls on the Yellow River and the Grand Canal. He made a total of six southern tours, which are said to have contributed to political stability and economic development during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The scrolls, which took six years to complete, were kept in the Imperial City for more than 200 years after the emperor's death, but were then dispersed abroad in 1901 as the Qing Dynasty drew to a close.

"It is a scroll that was mutilated in 1938, cut into four pieces. They were further cut, altogether in seven pieces and had been dispersed around the world since. And for the first time, thanks to the obsessive quest of a private collector, we have them here for the whole world to see," said Nicolas Chow, chairman of Sotheby's Asia.

The scrolls are individually owned and collectively worth millions of dollars. According to Chow, the first piece was sold for about $4 million in 2010, and the last piece fetched nearly $10 million in 2016's auction.

"It ranks among the most important and valuable classical Chinese paintings ever to be shown to the public," he added.

Another precious scroll painting "Five Drunken Princes Returning on Horseback" by famous Chinese artist Ren Renfa will also be presented. It's expected to fetch between $10,340,000 and $15,510,000 when it goes to auction next week.

The two paintings will be presented by Sotheby's Hong Kong between October 3 and 7 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

(With input from AP)