Guangzhou is publicly seeking antiques to add to a new exhibition showcasing the city's past.

An ancient wooden door is collected by the Guangzhou Urban Development Archives office to enrich its historical exhibition showcasing the city's past. [The Information Times]

Citizens can sell, donate or lend their antiques to the Guangzhou Urban Development Archives, an organization devoted to collecting the city's memories, the local Information Times reported on Thursday.

They do not have to be priceless, world renowned antiques, small items such as tea cups, or pieces of old furniture are equally welcomed, an official from the archives office told the newspaper.

The collected items will be displayed in the exhibition hall in the exhibition center of Guangzhou's Bureau of Urban Planning.

The exhibition center has allocated a special storehouse with temperature and humidity controls. Exhibition center officials have offered reassurances to citizens about the safety of their property.

It is not the first time the city has approached the public to donate articles. Five years ago, the archive office initiated a project requesting historical documents including old city maps, photographs and old books from its citizens. By comparing aerial photographs taken in 1955 and 1978, you can clearly see the shrinking amount of farmland and the extension of modern architecture, said the newspaper.

Among other things, the office has received two hundred and forty nine city maps with the oldest one being traced back to Ming Dynasty, more than six hundred years ago.