Source: CCTV.com

07-11-2008 09:17

The largest collection of cultural relics of China's Qiang ethnic group has been safely transferred out of earthquake ravaged Maoxian County. The relics normally reside at the Qiang Ethnic Museum in Maoxian county but the area was one that suffered terrible damage during the May 12th earthquake. Now the national treasures, the treasures of the Qiang people, are being safely stored in Chengdu,the capital of Sichuan province.

The largest collection of cultural relics of China's Qiang  ethnic group has been safely transferred out of earthquake  ravaged Maoxian County. (Photo: CCTV.com)

The items originally housed at the Qiang Ethnic Museum are now safely stored in the basement of the Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu. The relics are secured behind three doors. There is no access to the artifacts without the doors being opened by security guards from both the Jinsha Site Museum and the Qiang Ethinc Museum.

The pieces, numbering nearly ten thousand, range from jade artifacts, bronzes and porcelain vases. The most ancient of the pieces dates back some fifty-five hundred years. The items reflect miscellaneous aspects of the history of the unique culture of Qiang ethnic groups. They include folk arts, religion, and family life.

The Exhibition halls at the Qiang Ethnic Museum in Maoxian County were severely damaged by the May 12th earthquake. The relocation of the museum's cultural relics took PLA soldiers and museum staff more than one month to complete.

Editor:Liu Fang