From there, the treasures have been respectively exhibited in southwest China’s Chongqing and Chengdu cities. In Chengdu, the exhibition was visited by 500,000 people in three months, which was one fifth of the total number of visitors recorded in 23 museums around the world.
On the opening day of the show on Feb. 1, Mohammad Fahim Rahimi, Director of the National Museum of Afghanistan, came to Chengdu to express his gratitude to the Chinese museum.
“The exhibition in Chengdu is a gift given to our Chinese friends. Even during such a difficult time, we've managed to protect our cultural heritage objects,” Rahimi said, adding that the Afghan archeological and cultural circles feel very proud that these representative cultural treasures are loved by the Chinese public.
To make this exhibition different from the previous shows in Beijing and Chongqing, Chengdu Museum highlighted the fate of the artifacts, and expressed its confidence in Afghanistan to walk away from war and chaos.
Now, more Chinese museums have joined the effort to protect the Afghan pieces. According to the plan, the items will be sent to Zhengzhou in central China, Shenzhen in southern China, and Hunan province in central China for exhibitions lasting until December.
