About 630 pieces of valuable cultural relics have been on display at an exhibition in Beijing to elaborate the ups and downs of China on the road towards national revival since 1840.

 

The exhibition named "Road of Revival", opened to the public since Saturday and has attracted lots of visitors.

 

One among the collection was a gold-plating chime bell, seized by the British troops from the Temple of Heaven when armies of eight western powers invaded Beijing in 1900.

 

The bell, left in India by British, was returned to China as a symbol of friendship between China and India in 1996.

 

Other interesting exhibits included the first Chinese version of Manifesto of the Communist Party, the crystal eagle that former US President Ronald Reagan presented to late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and the returned capsule of Shenzhou 5, China's first manned spaceship.

 

"The exhibition is impressive. I learned a lot and hope more young people will watch it and know more about the country's history," a Beijing resident wrote in the message book of the exhibition.

 

With plenty of pictures, historical archives and relics, the exhibition was divided into five chapters in time sequence, covering all critical moments the nation had undergone since 1840 when the country was forced to open its door to foreign powers after the defeat in the Opium War.

 

The exhibition, sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will last about two months.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2007)