Relics thought to be too valuable to risk damage while in transit have been banned from exhibitions outside China.

This is the first time the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has made such a list.

The 64 kinds of treasures include rare ancient cooking vessels, ceramics, bronze wares and lacquer works.

The ban, which took effect on Monday, aims to protect irreplaceable relics from damage.

"Such relics are rare and both historically and culturally significant, and we must prevent any possible accidents," said Wang Limei, an administration official in charge of international relics exchange and exhibitions.

Wang said unexpected accidents, such as plane crashes, could damage or destroy the treasures.

"Even frequent moves can do harm to the fragile pieces," Wang said.

In recent years, there have been a few cases of Chinese relics being damaged in exhibitions overseas.

Wang said many countries have such a relics list, in which treasured items are prohibited from being exhibited outside their own territories.

"We are adopting international practices to safeguard our treasures," Wang said.

Before the list, only five general categories of the country's relics were prohibited from being moved to foreign soil.

The categories comprised the frescoes occurring before the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), mummies, fragile items and those treasures that cannot be moved easily.

Relic experts said the ban will not hinder current relic exchanges between China and other countries.

"China's relics are countless, and other treasures exempt from the list are also the epitome of China's admirable history and splendid ancient culture," said Liu Qingzhu, president of the Institute of Archaeology and Research under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

To expand and deepen cultural and relic exchanges with other countries is a lasting measure carried out by the Chinese Government, Liu said.

"More overseas exhibitions of Chinese relics are encouraged," he said.

But Liu also said the protection of rare items is essential.

"The list was finalized after the administration consulted dozens of senior domestic archaeologists," he said.

(China Daily April 5, 2002)