Shining pearls at the National Museum

A corner of the exhibition area. [Photo/Xinhua]

The "Pearls, Treasures from the Seas and the Oceans" exhibition opened at the National Museum of China on September 27. The exhibition is part of the 2016 China-Qatar Culture Year campaign and also the first international exchange exhibition on West Asian history, culture and traditional arts held at the museum.

The Gulf region where Qatar resides has always been a supplier of natural pearls since ancient times. Thanks to one year's joint efforts by the Ministry of Culture, the National Museum of China and the Qatar Museums Authority, the exhibition was finally ready to open to the public.

It is categorized into six sections: pearl formation, pearls in the Gulf, pearls in history, natural freshwater pearls, pioneers of pearl cultivation and China's pearl cultivation. It reviews the history of humans using pearls, which can be dated back to ancient Rome, more than 2,000 years ago. The exhibition also informs visitors of pearl-related historical facts, legends and myths.