ZHENGZHOU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A collection of 231 Afghan artifacts from the National Museum of Afghanistan is on display in central China's Henan Province, the fourth leg of the Afghan treasures' China tour.
The exhibition features a number of ancient artifacts unearthed from Afghanistan's famous archaeological site of Tillya Tepe that show clear cultural connections with China, including fragments of Chinese silk, bronze mirrors and lacquerware dating back to China's Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220).
"This gold plate from a man's tomb was covered with Chinese silk when it was excavated," said Tang Wei, head of the exhibition department of Zhengzhou Museum, while guiding visitors through the exhibition hall.
He pointed out an iron sword from Tillya Tepe with dragon patterns on its sheath.
Tang said that the audience has been enthusiastic about the Chinese features in the Afghan exhibition, which are evidence of cultural exchange and trading between the countries through the ancient Silk Road.
Tang said that over the weekend, the daily visitor flow topped 6,000. The museum had to impose a limit to curb the inflow and add guardrails to protect the artifacts.
The collection, which includes Afghan artifacts from ancient China, ancient Greece and Rome and India, came to Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, after stops in Beijing, Dunhuang, and Chengdu.
Abdullah Hakimzada, a relic repair expert with the National Museum of Afghanistan, told Xinhua that since the Afghan war broke out in the 1980s, 70 percent of the treasures held in the museum suffered damage.
He said the museum selected a collection of its artifacts for a world tour in 2006. The tour has been ongoing for 12 years as security concerns continue to affect Afghanistan.
Guan Ying, a Chinese visitor to the exhibition, noted that China also has had a war-torn past and a great deal of treasures were looted and lost. Guan said the long tour, though difficult, was a way to protect the Afghan items.
The exhibition in Zhengzhou will continue until July 10. After that, it will move to Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province. The China Art Exhibitions, which is coordinating the Afghan exhibition's China tour, said it is looking for the next venue for the exhibition in hopes of prolonging its China tour.
