The National Museum of China, in conjunction with national museums in 12 other countries, showcased the rich and diverse cultural exchanges between the countries in an exhibition of 234 cultural relics from different periods and categories on Thursday. The exhibition runs until July 14.

In his introduction, Wang Chunfa, director of the National Museum of China, said that the exhibition will present and display the theme through two sections, the Land Silk Road, and the Maritime Silk Road, and reflect on the ways of cultural exchanges among countries along the Silk Road according to the geographical location.

Among the exhibits from countries along the Land Silk Road are leaf-shaped spearheads from the Russian State Historical Museum, porcelain plates from the National Museum in Warsaw, and golden warriors from the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Wang added.

"We have a spear from the Russian Turbino Culture in our collection. We put it with the Russian items, to show visitors the value of the spread of ideological beliefs," said Yan Zhi, deputy director of international liaison department of the national museum of China.

Then, among the exhibits of the countries along the Maritime Silk Road are the bronze drum collection of the National Museum of Cambodia, the Sancai pot of the central museum of the National Museum of Korea, and the Japanese bronze bell of the Tokyo National Museum, said Wang Chunfa.

Wang indicated that these exquisite cultural relics fully demonstrate the breadth and depth of the integration, mutual learning and collision of science and art among countries along the Belt and Road, and profoundly reveal the historical inevitability of building a "Community of Shared Future for Mankind" as the future development direction of the world.

The Global Museum Directors Forum opened at the National Museum of China on the same day. Under the theme of "function and mission of National Museums along the Silk Road," museum representatives from more than 20 countries together with more than 50 representatives from China will have in-depth discussions and exchanges during the two-day conference. The book named "Selected Records of Overseas Chinese Antiques, Volume of the British Museum" was also released at the forum's opening ceremony.

(Cover: A exhibit in the exhibition. /Photo courtesy of the National Museum of China)

(Ye Qing, Ding Siyue contribute to this story. )