Xu He (center), curator of the exhibition, explains an exhibit to Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, then-president of the Board of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, in September. [Photo by Tu Yifan/Xinhua]

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Exhibitions are not the only way China is promoting greater knowledge of its cultural treasures overseas.

In 2017, The Nation's Greatest Treasures, a program produced by China Central Television, became an unexpected hit by adopting an entirely new approach to the topic.

Each 100-minute episode featured three key items from a major museum, introduced by entertainment stars through short dramas. Afterward, experts explained the cultural importance of each artifact, while members of the public shared stories about the items in a modern context.

The show was widely praised as a fresh approach to making cultural relics into "stars". On Douban, a major website for film and TV critics, the first and second seasons of the program were awarded 9 and 9.2 respectively out of a possible 10.

"The Nation's Greatest Treasures broke down the barriers between documentaries, variety shows and other familiar formats," said Lyu Yitao, the program's executive producer and a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee.

"When we group them together, people can better see the in-depth cultural meaning of the relics."

The program also won plaudits overseas.

In October, at the 2018 edition of MIPCOM, a major trade expo for the global TV industry in Cannes, France, the show's format was licensed to the Endemol Shine Group, a production company in the Netherlands, to shine a spotlight on artifacts in museums across Europe.

"Chinese TV producers are used to introducing established formats from overseas," Lyu said.

"However, this time, every detail from the upcoming adapted shows will be identical to ours. That reflects our overseas counterparts' recognition of our creativity."

At the same expo, BBC World News signed an agreement with CCTV to make a documentary inspired by The Nation's Greatest Treasures to introduce Chinese relics worldwide.

A BBC production team will arrive in China to begin shooting soon, according to Lyu.

He added the third season of the program on CCTV will feature Chinese artifacts held in museums overseas.

"These relics are like our children who have lived abroad for a long time," he said. "People want to see whether they are living well."