Angkor's treasures shine in China

Sister-province ties

The exhibition also reflects broader cooperation between Shanxi and Cambodia. In 2018, Shanxi signed minutes on establishing a sister-province relationship with Siem Reap, home to the Angkor archaeological complex, and the two sides have since expanded exchanges in cultural heritage preservation, tourism and trade.

Cooperation has also extended to infrastructure development. The Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, one of Cambodia's largest infrastructure projects built with Chinese participation, is another symbol of growing ties between the two sides.

For Nann Sreynith, 19, the Silk Road Education program brought her to Shanxi. Now at Shanxi University, she was surprised to see her homeland's treasures so far from home. "It made me feel like I had returned to Cambodia," she said."This exhibition is a bridge between our two cultures."

Vorn Muykeang, 20, came through the same program. She sees a connection between Shanxi and Cambodia."Both places have ancient temples and Buddha statues," she said. "Living in Shanxi feels familiar in a way."

The exhibition will run through Oct 7 at Shanxi Museum and is open to the public free of charge.

Li Jialu contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at houchenchen@chinadaily.com.cn