Some models on display are items that have been unearthed from excavated agricultural sites of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), such as toilets for humans on top of pigsties. They provide a glimpse of the practical design of ancient livestock rearing.

Tomb figures, household items and accessories, as well as modern stamps inspired by the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, are also on show, along with interpretations of the related culture.

The exhibition runs through March 17.

This is the 12th year in a row that the museum is holding a Lunar New Year's exhibition, featuring the animals of the Chinese zodiac, Zheng says.

The museum has renewed its permanent exhibitions, including bronze and jade wares, calligraphy and paintings, according to Han Zhanming, the museum's director.

Bai Jie, the museum's Party secretary, announced some of the exhibitions under planning for the year at a news conference on Monday.

Working together with Beijing's Palace Museum and National Museum of China, as well as the Shanghai Museum, the Liaoning Provincial Museum and the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu province, the Capital Museum will host an exhibition of more than 100 ancient landscape paintings in September.

This year, another exhibition organized through the cooperation of over 20 domestic museums will feature and interpret ancient silk. Exhibits will examine the aesthetics, ritualistic functions and social significance of the fabric.

Another key show will open at the end of February, focusing on the historical development of Northwest China's Qinghai province, where plowing and nomadic traditions are rooted. Others will look at the local culture of Ji'an in Jiangxi province and of Zhejiang province in eastern China.

The museums will also host exhibitions explaining the culture and history of Beijing's classical gardens, the areas around Xishan Mountain and the Yongding River this year.