With the Paris Olympics in full swing, a collection of cultural relics related to the ancient Greek Olympics is being showcased at the Nanjing Museum in east China's Jiangsu Province.
The ancient Greeks considered the organization of athletic contests a sacred rite honoring the gods of Mount Olympus. The first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to the Greek town of Olympia in 776 BC.
In the exhibition titled "The Glory of the Aegean Sea: The Exhibition of Ancient Greek Civilization", various artifacts that serve as testaments to the Olympic tales from nearly three thousand years ago are being showcased. Among these exhibits are two bronze discuses.
"When I saw those discuses, I immediately thought about the ongoing Olympic Games. Discus throwing traces back to ancient Greece and has been a traditional sport. These cultural relics serve as a testament to the civilization of that period," said a visitor.
"The culture of ancient Greece was distinct from that of our country. Upon stepping into the exhibition, I was captivated by those items which have unique sculptural forms and patterns. They are totally different. I can appreciate the cultural treasures of another country without leaving China," said another visitor.
The exhibition will continue until October 20. About 270 pieces of exhibits are on display to showcase the historical evolution of ancient Greek civilization spanning over a thousand years.
Exhibition in Nanjing showcases cultural relics of ancient Greek Olympics
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday extended festive congratulations and sincere greetings to the teachers and other people working in the education sector across the country at a national meeting on education held in Beijing ahead of China's 40th Teachers' Day, which falls on Sept. 10.
"Tomorrow (Sept. 10) is our country's 40th Teachers' Day. First of all, on behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, I would like to extend warm congratulations and sincere greetings to the teachers and other people working in the education sector across the country," Xi said.
Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that respecting teachers and valuing education is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation.
He called for efforts to raise the political, social and professional standings of teachers, ensuring that they receive pay packages in full, increasing seniority allowances for primary and secondary school teachers, implementing and optimizing the policy on living allowances for rural teachers, and advancing the reform of the salary system for universities and colleges.
He underscored the need to safeguard the professional dignity and legitimate rights and interests of teachers, reduce non-educational and non-teaching tasks and burdens on them, and do a solid work to ensure that veteran teachers can retire with honor.
He also urged greater efforts to identify, commend and promote outstanding teachers, ensuring that teachers are revered and teaching stands out as one of the most esteemed careers in society.
Xi extends Teachers' Day greetings to nation's educators
