Something familiar

On a displayed coronation robe of the 14th-century Pope Benedictus XI, Chinese visitors could also see something familiar.

The embroidered part of the garment reminds one of buzi, a square patch on the official robe that represented the ranks of ancient Chinese officials.

Buzi was used on officials' robes no later than the Yuan Dynasty. The pattern was said to be brought to Europe by Mongolians and was later copied by local noble men.

Western influence could also be seen in Chinese culture during the exchanges

During the Tang Dynasty, there were quite a few believers in Jingjiao, an ancient religion with origins in Christianity. It was brought in by the Nestorians of Orthodox Christianity. A lotus-based cross is the symbol of the religion. One of such items, which was displayed at the exhibition, is a combination of both the Chinese and Western cultural elements.

Many Chinese people like to compare the portraits of Mary (Madonna, or Maria) the Virgin to Guanyin, or Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. Displays at the National Museum of China had included portraits of the two, which were strikingly alike.

Modern science from the West has influenced China for hundreds of years, thanks to missionaries like Matteo Ricci from Italy, who brought Christianity, science books and maps to China during the Ming Dynasty. Ricci and his friend Xu Guangqi, Ming official and scientist, translated the books together.

Their translations included Euclid's Elements of Geometry. And a Ming Dynasty Chinese version of the book was exhibited. The geometric terms, concepts and axioms in this version are used till this day.

The Ricci-drawn world map - which is called liangyi xuanlan tu in Chinese - placed China at the center of the world for the first time. A lot of place names have remained unchanged, like North America and South America.

The Chinese and Romans used to see each other belonging to the realms of sunrise and sunset. During the past two millennia, however, the exchanges via the Silk Road had put the two great peoples together.

They learned from each other and inspired each other, bearing the fruits of the world's greatest civilizations. This is shown in material evidence such as bronze wares, glass wares, silk, porcelain and paintings.

Zhao Ruopu contributed to the story.