An exhibition featuring the world-renowned Chinese painting Life Along the River During Qingming Festival attracted about 40,000 visitors after it was opened to the public at the Tokyo National Museum on Jan 2, organizers say.

Outside the museum gates was a sign saying it was an 80-minute wait in line to view the scroll. Museum officials say there were incidents among those lining up to see the exhibition, due to the popularity of the painting, which was produced some 1,000 years ago.

The work is one of 200 exhibits that mark the 40th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations in 2012.

Those masterpieces include calligraphy and paintings not yet shown outside the Palace Museum by artists in the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, including court dress and other accessories used during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The event will last until Feb 19 at the Heiseikan Special Exhibition Galleries of the museum, but the painting will be withdrawn on Jan 24.