A major exhibition of the Hong Kong Museum of History has opened to the public. The exhibition showcases treasures from the British Museum, depicting the luxurious lifestyle of ancient civilizations in the Middle East, from the Assyrians to Alexander the Great. CGTN's Li Jiejun has more.

LI JIEJUN HONG KONG "The British Museum is a must-see when travellers visit London. But now Hong Kong residents can take a look at some of the objects from the museum right here, with over 200 exhibits on display. Visitors can learn about the "Age of Luxury" from 900-300 BC.

Precious metalwork, stone wall reliefs, ivory items, gems and jewellery, showing the luxurious lifestyle of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, are on display. About 3000 years ago, mighty empires like Assyria, Babylon and Persia created elites that accumulated enormous wealth. They built lavish palaces and pleasure gardens filled with treasures. These luxurious objects not only gave them pleasure, but also displayed their social status and power. The exhibition is divided into six parts, demonstrating the different ways objects developed in the ancient empires.

ALEXANDRA FLETCHER CURATOR OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM "My research is actually looking at pottery. I look at how people use pottery vessels. That started me thinking about luxury dining and how we show off when we have people for dinner. And that started me thinking about all that wonderful gold we saw at the end of the show. So I build the show backwards. I started from the dining and worked my way through that luxury story going back in time."

Highlights include this wall relief depicting the conquest and looting of an Elamite city by Assyrian soldiers, this fish-shaped perfumed oil flask made from a hammered sheet of gold, the kohl bottles and pots, and decorative plaques carved in elephant ivory. Re-creations of items are also on display.

ALEXANDRA FLETCHER CURATOR OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM "My favourites are that wonderful goldfish. You can see every single scale all the way along the fish's body. It was made of a single sheet of gold. Everything's about luxury. After that, I think I really love that garden relief, because it shows the inheritance of the grandson from the garden that his grandfather planted. Everybody can really enjoy that sentiment today. Planting trees, it's not for you, it's for the next generation."

The British Museum has launched the world tour of this blockbuster exhibition in Hong Kong. It will run until September 3rd. The organizers hope visitors would be thrilled by the exhibits, and see the connection between their modern love of extraordinary things and the love people had in the past for things that were beautiful and made them feel beautiful. LJJ, CGTN, HK.