TEHRAN – Following an extended loan exhibition in China aimed at strengthening cultural ties, Iran is arranging the return of 151 artifacts to the country, a senior cultural heritage official announced on Saturday.
Ali Darabi, Iran’s deputy minister of cultural heritage, said the artifacts, exhibited under the title “Land of Kindness,” are being kept in a secure location in China and are prepared for shipment back to Iran.
The collection, spanning from the third millennium BC to the 20th century, includes metalwork, ceramics, glassware, textiles, carpets and paintings drawn from several major Iranian museums, including Reza Abbasi Museum, Moghadam Museum, Glassware and Ceramic Museum (Abgineh), Carpet Museum of Iran, and the Museum of National Arts.
Speaking to IRNA, Darabi said the exhibition was designed to present “different dimensions of Iranian culture and a new narrative of Iran’s ancient history” to Chinese audiences.
The exhibition toured several Chinese cities, including Chengdu, Guangzhou and Nanjing, and its fourth stop was hosted by the Inner Mongolia Museum in China, where the artifacts drew strong public interest, Darabi said.
According to available figures, the exhibition attracted more than 300,000 visitors in China and generated over 100 million views on social media platforms.
Organized by Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in cooperation with the China International Cultural Exchange Center, the exhibition also featured selected works from Chinese museums to highlight centuries of cultural interaction between the two civilizations.
The Iranian artifacts included finely crafted metal objects, ceramics, silk textiles, seals and Persian carpets reflecting the development of Iran’s Islamic-Iranian civilization. The displayed objects covered periods from the Mithraic era to the later Islamic centuries, illustrating major phases in Iran’s cultural and artistic evolution.
Darabi said the exhibition was initially approved by the Iranian government for one year and the artifacts were scheduled to return to Iran in June last year. However, the timetable was disrupted by what he described as a 12-day war involving Iran.
“After the war, the Chinese government raised the issue of extending the exhibition during the visit of Iran’s minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts to China,” Darabi said. “The proposal was then submitted to the Iranian cabinet, which approved an extension until May 15, 2026.”
He added that the artifacts are currently packed, sealed and ready for transportation from China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, stressing that “there is no cause for concern.”
Iran has increasingly used cultural diplomacy and museum exchanges to strengthen political, economic and tourism relations with China, one of Tehran’s closest international partners.
Darabi said previous exhibitions of Iranian antiquities had also been held in different Chinese cities with the aim of promoting tourism cooperation and attracting more Chinese travelers to Iran.
He acknowledged that international exhibitions involve substantial costs related to insurance, transportation and security. In China, he said, the Agricultural Bank of China had supported the exhibition as part of its corporate social responsibility activities by covering insurance and organizational expenses.
“We hope that one day Iranian banks will also be able to provide similar support,” he said.
Darabi noted that insurance remains one of Iran’s main limitations in organizing exhibitions abroad, although he said all exhibited artifacts are insured. He pointed to a 2021 exhibition in Germany featuring Iran’s ancient “Salt Men” mummies from Zanjan province as an example of successful overseas cooperation.
Responding to criticism over the prolonged absence of the artifacts from Iran, Darabi said the exhibitions also generate financial returns for the country.
According to him, China covers the costs of dispatching Iranian experts as well as their accommodation and hospitality expenses, while a percentage of ticket sales is transferred to Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage for use in supporting museum activities and exhibition organizers.
The “Land of Kindness” exhibition is among the largest recent showcases of Iranian cultural heritage in China and comes as both countries seek deeper cooperation across trade, tourism and cultural sectors.
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