Global treasures on the Chinese stage

"The problem with the fabric is that although Stein is a world-famous archaeologist and explorer, what he did - taking many relics, books and manuscripts away from the Dunhuang caves - still makes him a highly controversial figure in China today."

The 100 Objects exhibition, born out of a popular joint program of BBC Radio and the British Museum, was envisioned as a commercial show, Yan says.

"I believe that other museums (apart from the Chinese ones) have paid handsomely for it. We didn't because the showing at the two Chinese museums went ahead at the initiation of the Chinese and British governments, when the two countries commemorated the 45th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2017."

Although intergovernmental collaboration still accounts for a sizable proportion of imported exhibitions, especially the high-profile ones, there are exceptions. Between August 2016 and January 2017 the exhibition Pharaohs and Kings - the Stories of the Ancient Egypt and China's Han Dynasty, was held at the Nanjing Museum. Visitors paid 30 yuan ($4.70) each for a show that juxtaposes treasures belonging to two of the world's most ancient civilizations and dating back to roughly the same era.

Wang Zhen of the Suzhou Museum in Suzhou, 200 kilometers from Nanjing, says the Nanjing Museum reaped enough in ticket sales to cover the huge expense, including paying for exhibits from Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

"The exhibition has set an example for other Chinese museums, so used to having shows funded by the government. You can also choose to have one that is engaging enough and turn in a profit."

Another exception is the exhibition Afghanistan: Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, an exhibition that cost a small fortune for its host, the Palace Museum in Beijing, to organize when it went on display last year.

"The museum paid for all the exhibits, transport and installation, and the staff from the Afghanistan side who were here throughout the show, from March to June," says Ma Shengnan of the Palace Museum.