3. Pottery bowl decorated with fish and human masks

From the Yangshao Civilization (BC 5000-3000) of the Neolithic Age.

Unearthed in 1955 at the village of Banpo in Xi'an and kept at the China National Museum.

Fish have been a symbol of the wish for fertility and a good harvest. The eyes and nose have been outlined on a roundish human face, while the mouth, head and ears look like fish scales.

4. Terracotta warriors and horses

Qin Dynasty (BC 221-206)

Unearthed in Xi'an in 1977 and preserved at the city's Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses, this breathtaking collection has been widely acclaimed as one of the planet's major discoveries of recent times.

On display are terracotta figures of four warriors and one horse. The general wears a pheasant-shaped helmet and ribbon-decorated armor.

5. T-shape silk painting

Western Han Dynasty (BC 206-AD 25)

Unearthed in 1972 at the Mawangdui archaelogical site in Changsha, Hunan province and preserved at Hunan Provincial Museum.

This is a silk painting on a funeral banner. It consists of three sections pieced together, depicting heaven, earth and hell.

6. Ceramic figurine of a story-teller

Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220)

Unearthed in 1957 from Mount Tianhui at Chengdu in Sichuan province and kept at the China National Museum.

Ceramic figurines from the Han Dynasty feature ordinary people. This storyteller has a drum and is humorous in his expression and with his exaggerated gesture.

7. Gold crown

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Unearthed from Ming Emperor Wanli's tomb at the Shisanling Ming Tomb in Beijing's Changping district and stored at Dingling Museum.

Weaved with thin gold thread, the crown weighs 826g and is 24cm in height. The inlayed two dragons play with a pearl at the top of the crown.

8. Bronze masks with protruding eyes

Late Shang Dynasty (BC 1300-1046)

Unearthed from the Sanxingdui site at Guanghan in Sichuan province and preserved at Guanghan Sanxingdui Museum.

The bronze masks excavated from the sacrificial pits illustrate the creativity of the ancestors of southwestern China.