Journalists from China and abroad visit the Lhoka Museum in the Xizang autonomous region to learn about centuries of political, religious, and artistic exchange between Xizang and other parts of China. [Photo by Zhu Lixin/chinadaily.com.cn]

One of the centerpieces is an iron tiger tally inscribed in Phags-pa script from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Such tokens were used to transmit urgent military orders, and organizers said the object reflects how Yuan government instructions were communicated and carried out in Xizang.

Other exhibits show how artistic techniques and cultural symbols traveled between regions. A Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) embroidered hanging screen depicts the jade rabbit pounding an elixir, a motif associated with the Taoist pursuit of health and longevity in the central plains. It uses silk from the Jiangnan region and features auspicious cloud patterns common in art from central China.