A history of endeavor

"By unveiling the historical, artistic and cultural values of these artifacts, we can show the wide influence of sports in China," Huang says. "They reflect a shared pursuit, echoing the Olympic spirit today."

The booming situation of sports is further elaborated in the section on modern China. Nevertheless, behind the more than 270 gold medals won by Chinese athletics in both Summer and Winter Games in the past decades, there was a long journey overcoming difficulties in recent history. For the exhibition, Huang selected many precious documents since the early 20th century to unroll Chinese people's continuous efforts to make breakthroughs.

"The Olympics were first introduced in China when patriotic people were calling for the national revival from deep crisis," he says. "Sports were given greater significance to save the country (through physical strength). The Olympics dream thus created a foundation for modern sports in China."

A book published in 1904, titled Tiyu Tushuo ("illustration of physical education") is also displayed at the exhibition. It was the first time that the word tiyu, literally translated in Chinese from "physical education" in English, appeared in a book title.