Museums open window for cultural exchanges

Chinese, Peruvian exhibitions help to enhance mutual understanding

At the Inka Museum in Cuzco, Peru, visitors are greeted by a fascinating juxtaposition of cultural treasures, with giant bronze trees, golden masks and ornaments from China's ancient Shu kingdom displayed alongside relics from the ancient Peruvian Inca civilization.

The exhibition, Light of the Sun: A Dialogue Between Ancient Shu and Inca Civilizations, which opened on Nov 5, highlights the intriguing similarities between these two distinct cultures, both of which revered the sun and cherished gold. The replicas of Chinese artifacts and 3D-printed imitations that are on display are on loan from the Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan.

The exhibition can serve as a window into China's cultural heritage for the people of Cuzco, and can deepen exchanges and mutual understanding between China and Peru, said Mohenir Julinho Zapata, the Inka Museum's director.