A large scale exhibition of treasured historical re-lics from Tibet opened yesterday in the China National Museum of History.

The exhibition features more than 140 precious original relics selected from a collection of museums in Tibet. "A panorama of history and religion in Tibet, the exhibit manifests both artistic gems and the historic changes of Tibet," said Zhu Fenghan, curator of the museum.

Zhu disclosed that many of the displays will be shown to the public for the first time.

They involve many aspects of religion, fine arts and crafts, literature, traditional Tibetan medicine and paintings. The oldest relics on display date back 4,000 years to the neolithic Age.

A large portion of the exhibition is devoted to thangka, the ancient Tibetan art form of scroll painting. Primarily depicting sacred images, the thangka works also cover other subjects such as Tibetan medicine.

The most treasured relics, according to the exhibition's supervisor Chen Yu, include a 1,300-year-old sutra roll, a handwritten copy of "The Life of King Gesar," an ivory carving and seals of office bestowed by emperors of the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties upon Tibetan religious and other leaders.

"The life of King Gesar" is the longest heroic epic originating from oral folk traditions passed down among Tibetan generations for some 1,000 years. The volume on display tells the story of King Gesar, who led his people to subdue the ancient Jiang Kingdom in the present Dali area of Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The exhibition also offers a rare opportunity to view and appreciate the artifacts of Buddhist statues of various dynasties from the eighth century to the Qing Dynasty, as well as many exquisite porcelain and imperial utensils from inland areas.

One of the most treasured artifacts on display- "Ivory Jataka" - has been privately stored in Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's summer palace. On the 174-centimetre piece of ivory, 21 groups of figurines are vividly carved, illustrating Sakyamuni's ascetic practices and the history of Buddhism. It is on public display for the first time.

"Thangka of Health Protection in Tibetan Medicine" reveals a broad world of unique principles and theories underlying health protection, on a scroll less than one square metre. "It is of high value in medicine and an artistic creation as well," Chen said.

The exhibition, running for a month from today, also marks the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

(China Daily 08/10/2001)