Chen, the Chinese-American recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize for physics and one of the first elected foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in June, 1994, accepted an offer from the museum to serve the post Friday.

Nanjing is an ancient capital of the six dynasties and has rich historical relics, Yang said, adding that preservation and exhibition of these relics is of great significance to the public.

Yang promised to promote cultural exchange between Nanjing Museum and overseas organizations.

(People's Daily 10/30/2000)