Poker is supposed to be a game. Now imagine "poker art", or art made from poker cards. An exhibition currently on in Beijing has a fresh take on the humble playing card.

It's the first exhibition of poker cards in China. But it has nothing to do with poker games. What's on display is a rich collection of "poker art".

This set of cards is an historical record. Each card marks one year since the People' Republic of China was founded. 54 years in all.

The Qingming Shanghe Tu is a Chinese national treasures. It's a Song Dynasty scroll showing life in the ancient city. In this reproduction, the artists have framed the scroll with poker patterns. Ancient art decorated with hearts and spades.

The exhibition opened on April 28 at the Millennium Monument Museum. You can see it from now to the end of the Labor Day holidays.

(CCTV.com April 30, 2004)