The Shanghai authorities' insistence on merging an exhibition on Confucius with a Swiss exhibition on Albert Einstein has forced the organiser to look for another mainland venue.
'The Einstein exhibition will not go to Shanghai as planned,' a person close to the situation said.
The main reason, he said, was that the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum insisted that the exhibition from the Historical Museum of Bern, be mixed with one on Confucius, curated by the Shanghai museum - a move that baffled the Swiss.
The Shanghai museum has not specified why it wanted to fuse the ancient philosopher and the modern scientist.
As no other suitable venue in Shanghai could be located, it is unclear where the exhibition will go after it finishes at the Hong Kong Science Museum at the end of August.
It is understood that the Swiss museum is talking to other mainland cities so it can continue its tour, which is a celebration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland, financed by the Swiss government.
Ironically, the exhibition, entitled Albert Einstein (1879-1955), has displayed the countries' different approach to cultural education since it started in Beijing in May last year.