Britain Meets the World: 1714-1830, gathers more than 100 pieces and sets of British cultural relics. The collection also includes 13 troves from the Palace Museum, which were gifts the Chinese emperor received from the British king.

The exhibits include engravings, sketches, watercolors, sculptures, ceramic works, arms, accessories, clocks, silver, golden and bronze works and utensils from the reigns of King George I through to King George III. The works chart Britain's development from island nation to world power in terms of culture, science, and economy.

The exhibition is divided into four parts, of European Renaissance achievements; the Middle East and South Asia; Africa, America and Oceania; and of Britain and China, in which visitors can see 17th and 18th century Chinese handicrafts that were popular among the upper classes and palace life in Britain.

Sketches of Renaissance masters Da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo and a watercolor of British artist Turner are also included.

The gallery on the Meridian Gate Tower at the southern end of the imperial palace is exotically decorated. The entrance, with an arch set up in classic Western architectural style, leads visitors into the opulent exhibition.

The most expensive item on show is a silver painting plate with the value of $13.72 million. Found in the area between England and Scotland in 1735, the plate is thought to be from the Fourth Century.

Also featured in the exhibition are 15 Chinese pieces including paintings, sculptures and Jingdezhen ceramics.

A horizontal scroll flower-and-bird painting, created by Xie Chufang in 1321 of Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), bears special status as a Chinese cultural relic. Purchased by the museum in 1998, the inscribed date of 1797 and the signature suggest it is the earliest Chinese antiquity collected by the British.

The Lord George Macartney mission to the court of the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795) by King George III, raised the veil of what Westerners then regarded as the mysterious East.

Text by Wu Liping and photos by Jiang Dong

Price: 20 yuan.
Time:8:30am-5pm, until Jun 10.
Address: Gallery on the Meridian Gate Tower (Wumen), Palace Museum, 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng District.
Tel: 010-8511-7575.