A 1871 specimen of a leopard collected from East China's Zhejiang province on display at Shanghai History Museum on July 16, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

A new exhibition in Shanghai narrates the early development of China's museum sector via specimens, documents and cultural relics.

The exhibition Centurial Collection - Tracing the History of Shanghai Museums features more than 100 items, including 44 ancient art pieces and cultural relics, 83 animal specimens and seven anthropological specimens, as well as books and documents. It offers evidence Shanghai was home to the earliest museums in China.

The exhibition runs through Oct 21.