By Zafar Hussain   

 

BEIJING, Mar. 16 (China Economic Net) - A China-Pakistan joint exhibition on Gandhara culture & art kicked off at the Palace Museum in Beijing, China on Wednesday, which will showcase the cultural heritage of Gandhara, an ancient region.

 

Hu Heping, Minister of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), inaugurated the exhibition titled "Gandhara Heritage along the Silk Road". The exhibition will be open to the public from March 15 to June 15.

 

At the occasion, Fareena Mazhar, Federal Secretary, Ministry of National Heritage & Culture Division, Pakistan, said that Pakistan is a unique country whose strategic location has given it importance not only in the past, but also in the present era, and it will continue to enjoy the same status for all the time to come. Its location makes it a veritable gateway between the East and the West and enhances its geopolitical pre-eminence.

 

"Over 170 masterpieces were brought from seven museums of Pakistan," she told China Economic Net.

 

"I wish this endeavor of the Palace Museum a very fruitful event and it will be beneficial not only to the general visitors but also to Chinese scholars and professionals to understand the cultural heritage of Pakistan. The exhibition will be a landmark in cooperation between China and Pakistan and will open new vistas of cooperation for further cementing our relations and joint endeavors," she added.

 

She further said that the exhibition will help promote the shared heritage at the international level and establish contacts at the grassroots level, adding that cultural relations between Pakistan and China are the need of the hour to broaden the basis of the two countries' friendship and enhance the people-to-people relationship.

 

Pakistani Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque said that this exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for the people of China to understand and admire Gandhara heritage. He further said that both countries with very rich traditions in cultural heritage and history have vast potential to widen the foundations of their lasting friendship.