Rare relics exhibition opens in Xi'an

A new exhibition displaying rare cultural relics unearthed in Anyang, in Central China's Henan province, opened at the Shaanxi History Museum.

Xi'an is the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Co-sponsored by the Archaeology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shaanxi History Museum, the three-month exhibition displays 135 pieces of rare relics, which show the royal life of the Shang Dynasty (16th -11th century BC).

The exhibits - such as royal bronze, jade and oracle pieces - were all unearthed by the archaeology institute in the past 60 years in Anyang, known as Yinxu in ancient times and the capital of the Shang Dynasty for more than 250 years.

Chinese archaeologists made the first excavation in Yinxu in 1928. Since then more than 130,000 pieces of oracle bones were found at the site.

In the last 60 years, the archaeology institute made continuous efforts to excavate the site and found a large number of rare relics including a large bronze tripod weighing 875 kg, which shows the heyday of the Chinese bronze civilization.

In July 2006, the Yinxu site was listed as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

luhongyan@chinadaily.com.cn