An exhibition at the British Museum, "Mysteries of Ancient China", is ⁽¹⁾aptlya. correctly for this situationb. in a way that will attract visitorsc. strangely named because so little is known about the first civilizations of the Middle Kingdom. With each new ⁽²⁾archeologicala. old and brokenb. dug up in order to studyc. from a historical report find, fresh questions about the ⁽³⁾moresa. diet and healthb. morals and customsc. education and beliefs of the early Chinese peoples are raised, and invariably left unanswered. That said, the British Museum's show ⁽⁴⁾stands outa. is very similarb. is the firstc. is much better among recent Chinese exhibitions because it encourages ⁽⁵⁾speculationa. guessing without all the factsb. investing in something that is riskyc. making a profit by buying and selling about the original function or meaning of the 200 or so ceramic, jade and bronze objects on display. Instead of being a barrier, the mystery surrounding the pieces ⁽⁶⁾beckonsa. stopsb. makes it difficult forc. encourages visitors to enter their world.

It is a small exhibition considering that it ⁽⁷⁾embracesa. hugs with both armsb. includesc. accepts more than 3,000 years of history. But thanks to the co-operation of the authorities in Beijing and loans by 19 Chinese museums and institutes, it ⁽⁸⁾comprisesa. formsb. is better thanc. is worse than the richest display of ancient Chinese art seen in Britain since 1974. It also includes invaluable objects that have never before left China.

Ancient China is said to begin in Neolithic times, around 4500BC up to around 1000BC. Jessica Rawson, the chief ⁽⁹⁾curatora. managerb. archeologistc. artist of the show, refers to this period as the 'unknown China' because no documents or writing have been found to ⁽¹⁰⁾illuminatea. provide lighting forb. identify the dates ofc. help us to understand the cultures of that time. Still, archeologists have been able to prove that the Neolithic cultures were organized into towns and villages and that their ⁽¹¹⁾artisansa. people who create beautiful paintingsb. people who are skilful at making things with their handsc. skilful builders worked in both ceramics and stone. As with later civilizations, they were also obsessed with the ⁽¹²⁾afterlifea. life after deathb. modern lifestylesc. dreams; what is known about them comes principally from objects placed in tombs to accompany the dead on their next journey.

In fact, the first piece in the exhibition, a painted bowl found at Banpo near Xi'an only last year, was used as a ⁽¹³⁾coffina. a box for storing dried food inb. a place to sleepc. a box for burying dead people in cover. Dated around 4500BC, it is decorated with two human-like faces and several fish. Other ceramics also portray ⁽¹⁴⁾creaturesa. real or imaginary animalsb. dangerous animalsc. living things, such as plants or animals, such as frogs, pigs, birds and elephants. One dish from around 2200BC is even painted with a dragon-like creature, one of the first ⁽¹⁵⁾depictionsa. types of Chinese dragonsb. something shown in a picturec. types of plates of a Chinese dragon.

What really distinguishes this remarkable artisan work is the creation of human figures in bronze. Several extraordinary artefacts, found in 1996 in two sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui in Guanghan county, Sichuan province, are included. Now seen for the first time in the West, these pieces have been dated between 1200 and 1000BC. None are more unusual than the huge bronze figure that is the ⁽¹⁶⁾centerpiecea. large decorationb. most important or attractive partc. thing in the middle of this entire exhibition. More than two metres high, this figure has almost an extraterrestrial appearance, with broad slanting eyes, a wide thin mouth and large ears. While its body is slim, hidden beneath an elegant robe with complex designs that suggest embroidery, the figure has thick arms that end with immense hands coiled to create a circle. The presumption is that the hands were once holding something that has since been stolen, perhaps an elephant tusk.

Several other dynasties are represented here; many tombs were largely ⁽¹⁷⁾intacta. undamaged or not destroyedb. very damagedc. very small when discovered, resulting in the discovery of numerous mysterious and fascinating objects in very good condition. The contents of the tombs suggest preparations for an afterlife quite as complex, hedonistic and dangerous as the life left behind. China experts do at least agree that these objects were not simply ⁽¹⁸⁾decorativea. usefulb. pretty and attractivec. expensive or symbols of wealth and power, but that they had important functions. "The terracotta army, found buried outside Xi'an, was not meant to remain frozen in clay, but to march and defend the first emperor in the afterlife," Ms Rawson writes in the exhibition ⁽¹⁹⁾cataloguea. price listb. advertising posterc. list of exhibits and information about them.

A visit to this exhibition will leave you marvelling at the skill and imagination of the ancient peoples of China.