Depicting Taoist deities in a misty landscape, a Qing dynasty lacquer panel inlaid with jade and agate is among thousands of artefacts pulled out of museum ... palace in the heart of Beijing.

He said he could not travel to the Beijing Palace Museum during the Covid-19 pandemic, so he scrambled for a day ticket for the Hong Kong version as soon as bookings opened to the public.

In the early 1930s, before Japanese forces swept across China, Palace Museum authorities packed up many pieces - including imperial thrones - and moved them out of Beijing to other cities.