Innovations of an ancient nation

摘要

This ancient Chinese 'environmentally friendly' oil lamp (pictured) has a built-in system to eliminate smoke and dates from the Western Han dynasty of 206 bc to ad 25. It is one of 169 artefacts on display in the exhibition Chinese Memory, showing at the Capital Museum in Beijing until October. The items, ranging from a 6,000 bc flute to a twentieth-century incense burner, were chosen from 55 museums across the country to trace China's technological and cultural innovations.