Shining pearls at the National Museum

A pair of pearl earrings. [Photo/Xinhua]

Six exquisite pearl-decorated crests and accessories are evenly arrayed in the hexagonal crown room. Lady Rosebery's pearl and diamond tiara, Countess Spencer's tiara, Keruartz's crown, Royal Hannover Crown, Grand Duchess Mary Valerie's tiara and the pearl and ruby lip-shaped brooch can be seen here. The brooch was designed by Maestro Salvador Dali, who was renowned for his maverick approach.

Empress Xiaoduanxian's phoenix crown is also on display. It is engraved with nine gold dragons and nine gold phoenixes and inlaid with more than 100 rubies and 5,000 pearls. The crown was made during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620) and unearthed at the Ding Mausoleum in the 1950s. Now it is housed in the National Museum.

Qatar used to be a strategic point along the Maritime Silk Road. When Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Belt and Road Initiative, Qatar was among the first countries who signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with China.