The Hemudu Neolithic culture, which existed 7,000 years ago in today's Yuyao, is the first stop for the time traveler. A black pottery container with a cartoonlike image of a pig reflects Zhejiang's agriculture in its infancy.

Starting from the Hemudu era, the exhibits document the wax and wane of numerous prehistoric cultures and dynasties. They reveal the spread of Buddhism, the growth of the prosperous Maritime Silk Road centered around the trade of porcelain and other milestones in Zhejiang's history.

Liangzhu culture, for example, is another highlight of the exhibition. The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Zhejiang's provincial capital, Hangzhou, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in July. It marked a civilization that ran from 5,300 to 4,300 years ago and was primarily known for its complex system of ritualistic jade articles. The motif of a human-like deity riding on an animal became a symbol of the times.

"You can just see how thin the decorative lines are on the artifacts," Yu says. "Imagine this, in a time before metal when everything had to be handmade using stone implements-how long did it take to make such a brilliant work of art?