The Belt & Road Initiative has brought China closer than ever to its partners in the Middle East. But one exhibition underway in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu shows that the two territories have always shared a great deal, even in ancient times. The event, featuring artifacts from Bronze Age civilizations, gathers scores of antiquities from both Chinese and Israeli museums. The similarities of the relics are impressing and inspiring visitors. CGTN's Yang Jinghao has the story.

A letter written on clay by the Old Babylonian King Hammurabi about 3800 years ago. And a large bronze mask made by the ancient Shu people in China some 500 years later. Two Bronze Age civilizations, Mesopotamia and the Chengdu Plain, meet in China across time and space.

ZHOU JING, DEPUTY CURATOR SICHUAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM "We are trying to tell the public via this exhibition that we should further our understanding of our own civilization from a broader perspective, by placing it into the global civilization system and exploring its connections to others."

The exhibition features scores of antiques from the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem and Yale University's Peabody Museum. Those include Sumerian administrative tablets and cylinder seals. The artifacts from two local museums, especially the Sanxingdui, also impress many without much knowledge of Chinese civilizations.

NARENDER KUMAR INDIAN VISITOR "I'm really informed now about the culture of this particular place that has seen such a rich history."

LI KE VISITOR "I'm impressed by this exquisite little goat. It reminds me of a golden calf from the Han Dynasty exhibited at the Jinsha Site Museum."

YANG JINGHAO CHENGDU "Though the two civilizations are quite far from each other, both chronologically and geographically, experts say, they share quite a few common characteristics."

Wang Xianhua, chief consultant of the exhibition, says the structural similarities and cultural relevance can be seen from different aspects such as their' cosmological concepts of the universe, or the social governance mode.

PROFESSOR WANG XIANHUA SHANGHAI FOREIGN STUDIES UNIVERSITY "Imagine if people from the societies of Mesopotamia and the Chengdu Plain met each other, I believe they would understand each other. In this exhibit, we intentionally select several comparable elements to inspire people to think."

Wang says he hopes this exhibition can also serve as a significant attempt to bridge different contemporary cultures, such as those in China and Israel. Yang Jinghao, CGTN, Chengdu, Sichuan Province.