The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the homeland of the Northern nations of China, has an ancient history of the renowned horse-riding culture from the Northern Grasslands of the Mongolian prairies. This unique exhibition comprises of seven groups, approximately 120 pieces, of cultural relics ranging from the Neolithic Age to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The first group highlights items created by ancestors of the northern nomadic population from the Neolithic Age (8000 B.C.) to the Bronze Age (3000B.C.). The second group introduces the history of the donghu nation - the first united tribe and creators of the magnificent Bronze Civilisation - during the periods of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Warring States. The third group of exhibits represent the xiongnu nation, from the Warring States to the East Han Dynasty, who has exerted a far-reaching influence on the political and economical cultures of the Han Dynasties. The fourth group covers the historical culture of the xianbei nation from the end of the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties.

The fifth group presents the achievements of the tujue nation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, who once played the role of linking the eastern and western cultural exchanges. The sixth group exhibits the culture of the qidan nation, from the time of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Northern Song Dynasty, for its political, economical and cultural developments. The seventh group shows a general historical description, from the Yuan to the Ming and Qing dynasties, emphasising the Mongolian culture as a result of the influences from all the previous periods.

The exhibition is a testimony to the origins of the diversity and the ancient civilisation of the Chinese culture.

Exhibition Period: December 19, 2002 till March 18, 2003