National treasures in Shanghai Expo

China

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival"

This painting is one of the most famous national treasures of China.

The original painting is on display at the Palace Museum in Beijing and it could be exhibited at some point during the Expo.

The Expo organizer has prepared some secret "national treasures" in the 160,000-square-meter China Pavilion as the centerpiece to attract visitors, and one of them will be a massive projection of the painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."

Visitors will be led to a massive projection of the painting.

The painting, depicting life in Bianjing (today’s Kaifeng, Henan Province), the largest city in the world more than 1,000 years ago, will be projected on a 100-meterlong wall.

Multimedia technologies will be used to make the more than 1,500 characters in the painting move around.

Bronze Chariot and Horse"

The "Bronze Chariot and Horse" sculpture is the most precious centerpiece of the terracotta warriors of China's Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

The well-preserved sculpture is believed to be a copy of the personal carriage of the first emperor of Qin, who in 221 BC unified China for the first time.

The work, four horses drawing a chariot steered by an armed warrior, is about 1 meter tall and 3 meters long.

Two "Bronze Chariot and Horse" sculptures were unearthed in 1980 among the terracotta soldiers in Xi’an, capital city of Shaanxi Province.

They were colorfully painted. More than 4,000 gold and silver parts were attached to each of them as decorations.

It is believed the emperor took this style of chariot on five tours around his kingdom. The works are now stored in the Xi’an Terracotta Museum.