Last month “Treasures of the World - Exhibition of International Gifts to the People's Republic of China” was held at the Military Museum in Beijing. More than 300 international gifts, presented to the state leaders of China in the past five decades by more 130 countries . Of them, one third are being shown for the first time.
Each gift not only resonates with the vibrancy of the culture it represents, it also recalls a moment in history when China established friendly relations with that part of the world.
The following are some highlights of the exhibition:
Porcelain swans
Given by former US president Richard Nixon to Chairman Mao Zedong in 1972
Black wood-mold, shell-inlaid, lacquer box
Given by the people of Pyongyang to Chairman Mao Zedong in 1953, with the Korean words for "longevity" engraved on its lid, the lacquer box was a gift for Mao's 60th birthday.
The box was brought to China by the late Premier Kim Il-Sung of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, who came to Beijing in 1953, immediately after the signing of the armistice that brought an end to the Korean War.
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