Pledges that still hold strong - after 2,000 years

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The New Year has just arrived, and if you're in China, you'll more than likely hear words like "happiness" and "prosperity", "fortune" and "luck", "enduring" and "everlasting", whether you're chatting with friends or watching a show on TV.

These word pairings are the most frequently heard greetings during important festivals in China. But did you know that they have been popular since the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. - 220 A.D.) two millennia ago?

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This is what cultural relics have taught us. Chinese people in that era carved these words onto everyday objects in an attempt to embody the owners' wish for good fortune, wealth and health. Public wishes for wealth and fortune are matched by private expressions not to be shared with others.

Two matching halves lock together to make a belt hook, small and plain in appearance. On the inside of each are engraved the four characters “Chang Wu Xiang Wang” which mean “Forever Forget Me Not”. This is another pair from the Han Dynasty that caught people's attention.

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It's a woman's oath of love and loyalty to her husband, hidden inside a small accessory that is worn closest to her heart. They kept her pledge for two millennia and never left her body.

That belt hook originated 600 years earlier. At the time, no one could have imagined that it would one day take on such a romantic significance nor win the hearts of hundreds of millions 2,000 years later.

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This may be why cultural relics have so much appeal. Simple words in small objects carry hopes through the millennia. In the ages to come, they will be passed down and continue to spread their good wishes. They cannot speak, but the message they contain is eternal, leaving room for endless exploration and imagination. Today, after thousands of years, they have become the treasures of a nation.

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This is just one of the many intriguing stories behind the treasures in the documentary "Every Treasure Tells a Story". Covering 100 pieces, each five-minute segment is short but sweet. Join us on January 2, on CGTN Documentary for a fascinating journey back in time.