National Treasure: Cultural exploration program a big hit around China

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Thanks for staying with us here on China 24. The large-scale cultural exploration TV series known as National Treasure, has become a hit in China, ever since its debut last Sunday night. The program has ten episodes, and will run every Sunday on channel three of China Central Television.

In the first episode, the Palace Museum in Beijing showcases three treasures: a painting, a large vase, and a stone drum.

Famous actors played roles of national treasure keepers for each. They narrated the treasures' legendary journeys with other actors, and shared their stories with these treasures.

Li Chen plays Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, and tells the history of Wang Ximeng's precious painting "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains," which is rarely seen as some mineral pigments are peeled off every time the painting is unfolded.

Wang Kai, performing as Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong in the show, presented the historical background of "Large Vase with Variegated Glazes," which has the most complicated craftsmanship in the history of Chinese imperial porcelain.

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung is the keeper of the 23-hundred-year-old stone drum and plays the famous statesman Sima Guang from the Northern Song Dynasty.

Nine major museums in China will each present three national treasures. Apart from the Palace Museum, also getting some screen-time are the Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Museum, Hunan Provincial Museum, Henan Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Hubei Provincial Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum and Liaoning Provincial Museum.

As a cultural variety show, National Treasure is dedicated to showcasing the stories of these priceless pieces. The series fuses various art forms such as the studio variety show, documentary and drama. The show aims to bring to life ancient Chinese civilization and the national treasures it produced.