Collection leaves Forbidden City for the first time

A collection of national treasures has ended its public debut outside of the former Imperial Palace. The exhibition, held at the Museum of Chinese Folk Art here in Beijing, was a big hit among museum-goers.

The items on display here have never before left the Palace Museum, with 80 percent of the exhibits never having been shown to the public before.

The exhibition features jade, coloured glaze, gold and silver vessels, with some bronze ware and porcelain also on display. The oldest pieces were created in the Shang Dynasty around 1700 B.C. and the most recent from the late Qing Dynasty.