The Smile of Khmer: Cambodian Ancient Cultural Relics and Art exhibition gives Beijing visitors deeper insight into the ancient Angkor heritage. [Photo by Wang Kaihao / China Daily]

The exhibition is intended to display the relevant backgrounds from Hinduism and Buddhism that greatly influenced the Angkor civilization.

According to Tang, a 7th - or 8th-century stone statue of Ganesh, who is a key Hindu deity; a 9th-century antefix depicting a rishi, or Hindu sage, in prayer; and an 11th-century statue of the Buddha seated on Naga (the serpent deity) are among the show's highlights.

As Chinese porcelain became popular in Southeast Asia during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the techniques of making Chinese porcelain were also exported to Cambodia.

Some exhibits at the show bear testimony to that exchange between the two countries, the curator says.

According to Chuch Pheourn, secretary of state of Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the earliest records of Chinese manuscripts in Cambodia can be traced to the period between 100 BC and AD 100, during China's Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

In addition, Khmer Buddhist monks made frequent visits to China in the 6th century.

In 1296, Zhou Daguan, a diplomat from China's Yuan Dyansty (1271-1368) arrived in Cambodia, and later wrote The Customs of Cambodia, the world's only surviving first-person written account of daily life in the Khmer Empire.