Japanese royal couple visits Forbidden City exhibition

Tokyo (CNS) -- On Monday afternoon, the Japanese emperor Akihito and his wife visited the "Two Hundred Selected Masterpieces from the Palace Museum, Beijing" displayed in the Tokyo National Museum, accompanied by the Chinese ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua and his wife.

This is the first time that national treasure "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" visited abroad and it has drawn much public attention. Collections of pottery, bronze ware, lacquer ware, enamel work, as well as weaving and dyeing handicrafts, are on display in what is the largest overseas tour of China's most precious cultural relics ever mounted.

Emperor Akihito, 78, lingered for 50 minutes appreciating the fine ancient Chinese arts despite being scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery on February 18.

The exhibition is the first in a series of events celebrating the 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties.