Saturday is Cultural Heritage Day in China. This is the third year for the annual observance. A series of exhibitions is open in Beijing to mark the occasion.

The most eye catching show is the Exhibition of Chinese Cultural Relics Recovered From Abroad. It features nearly 200 antiques.

It features nearly 200 antiques. Some of these relics were returned to China as a result of intergovernmental negotiations. Others were donated by Chinese working or living abroad. The oldest is a series of ceramic sculptures that dates back to the Han Dynasty some two thousand years ago.

The show comes with a special section. There are hundreds of photographs, in a special area dedicated to the the recovery and restoration of relics caught in the May 12th earthquake.

Shan Jixiang, director of Nat'l Cultural Heritage Admin., said, It's our duty to give the public an understanding of the damage sustained by cultural relics in the earthquake. Over the past weeks, great efforts have been made to recover and restore the cultural heritage in the earthquake zone. We want to make the public aware of the efforts.

By this weekend, nearly all major exhibition venues in Beijing will have shows dedicated to Cultural Heritage Day. Instituted in 2006, the observance falls on the second Saturday of June.

(CCTV June 14, 2008)