Statues of worshippers from the Bronze Age. WANG KAIHAO/CHINA DAILY

These include a stele stone (a commemorative slab with information in the form of texts, images or combination of both) from the 8th century found in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province. The stele records how the Nestorian Church, a Christian sect of east Syriac rite, was popular in China under the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

A stone tablet from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region reveals how ancient Syrian elements influenced its decorative pattern. The display even includes a chapter of the Old Testament, written in an ancient Syriac language, found in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province.

In Shiji or Records of the Grand Historian, the monumental Chinese historical documentation written during the 1st century BC, Sima Qian referred to the region of present-day Syria as tiaozhi. It is the oldest surviving Chinese record of the ancient country.

According to Tan, China has in recent years actively launched projects in collaboration with Asian countries to preserve, study and display cultural relics. The latest exhibition has been organized to echo the commitment made by China during the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing in 2019.

"The exhibition upholds the spirit of the ancient Silk Road communication, and emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange and mutual learning," Tan says. "It is crucial to the Belt and Road Initiative," he adds.

In October, the Asian Alliance for Cultural Heritage Conservation was established in Beijing. Ten countries, including China and Syria, were its founding members.

Before Beijing, the exhibition toured Shenzhen in Guangdong province and Chengdu in Sichuan province since August. It is the first large-scale display of Syrian cultural relics in the Chinese capital and will run until Oct 8.

Contact the writer at wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn