The State Administration of Cultural Heritage has recently handed over about 400,000 cultural relics to the National Museum of China.

Previously in the repository of the China Cultural Heritage Information Consulting Center, these cultural relics include various items, ranging from Buddhist statuettes, jade works, porcelain ware, calligraphy and ink paintings, and ancient handicrafts, mostly cultural relics under State protection, according to administrate chief Shan Jixiang.

The relics join the 600,000 items in the collection of the National Museum of China. The museum has been undergoing large-scale expansion since March 2007 and is expected to become the largest museum in the world when completed next year, with a floor space of 192,000 sqm.