Ancient bronze sex toy a stimulating piece of history

An ancient Chinese sex aid dating back to the Han Dynasty of 2,000 years ago has gone on display alongside Xian's terracotta warriors in a new exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History.

The phallic sex aid for women is made of bronze and is believed to have been used by courtesans living in the imperial palace.

The exhibition also includes a green glazed pottery model of a toilet, also from the Han Dynasty, complete with partition and ventilation window - revealing an advanced society with privacy and sanitary concerns.

Naomi Szeto, curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History, said combining items from both the Qin and the Han dynasties (which together span from 221BC to 220AD) gives a fuller perspective of China's unification.

'Most people know about emperor Qin and his fierce regime that brought China together as a single nation by conquering six other states,' she said. 'But we want to go one step further and present a picture of what China was like after it achieved stability, by including relics when the Han Dynasty ushered in an era of stability and a flourishing society.'

Entitled 'War and Peace - Treasures of the Qin and Han Dynasties', the exhibition brings together one of the largest collections of terracotta warriors from the Mausoleum of Qinshihuang (246-210 BC) and items from the Mausoleum of Emperor Jing (156-141 BC), with more than 100 exhibits from Shaanxi province.