Barry Till, Asian art curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, speaks at lightning speed. He's moving through the partially installed Enduring Arts of China exhibit and after 30 years of building the gallery's collection of several thousand artifacts, he has a lot to say.

"My problem is that you build up such a knowledge that you can't convey it all," he said. "That's why I talk so much, because I want to get everything out."

So far, he's already rattled off stories spanning the 5,000 years of the pieces in the show — the earliest being a pottery jar from about 3,000 BC and the latest, a pewter bowl from around 1900.

He's touched on the artist who only painted in black and white, and who began a hermit-like existence after the Manchus took over China in 1644. He points to a painting of a cricket and explains how they're making a comeback as pets, kept not only for their music but to take part in cricket fights, in cricket-sized arenas. From the healing powers of jade to one of the world's first crossbow mechanisms — looking around the room is like getting a glimpse of an entire history.

The Enduring Arts of China will see 600 to 700 of the gallery's pieces on display, about 25 per cent of which have never been shown. The name comes from the unifying features of the art over centuries and millenia: the persistent appearance of dragons and the consistent shape of hand-held mirrors from the fifth century BC to the present, for example.

"We're trying to show how, sometimes, certain shapes, motifs and themes would continue from the earliest times to present," he said.

Next to the Royal Ontario Museum, he says the gallery has the best collection of Chinese art in the country. This exhibit is a chance to see the best bronzes, jades, ivory and amber carvings it has to offer. Building that collection has been one of his proudest accomplishments and he says it's been a matter of "collecting collectors."

"A lot of people feel these are their children and they want them to be appreciated," he says of the artifacts. "That's partly why they give here."

The AGGV hosts regular Asian-themed exhibitions, which typically also travel to other parts of the country. While pieces donated to larger museums might sit in storage forever, those donated to the AGGV are typically shown within their first four years — and are often included in one of many catalogues produced.

Through this strategy, Till has grown the gallery's collection from about 2,000 pieces — largely dominated by Japanese art — in 1981 to more than 8,000 varied works from across the continent.

"I've become a generalist," he says. "I'm always delving into a new topic, so I never get bored. . . . I always feel my mind is being exercised."

Till, who studied Sinology at the University of Saskatchewan when he learned that his first choice, Egyptology, was not offered, went on to pursue a PhD at Oxford University.

He earned a three-year scholarship to study in China and that's where he met his wife, who works in the same field. After competing for a few jobs, they moved west and adopted a Chinese daughter, who is now preparing for university.

Now, he looks at each of his pieces as if he is a custodian or babysitter.

He says the best part of his job is being able to handle these rare artifacts — worth up to $500,000 each and representing, cumulatively, hundreds of thousands of years of workmanship.

"In some ways, you can look at each one of these that came in, in my time, and they're my children."

There's one piece he's most proud of in this show — an ivory statuette of Xiang Fei, the Fragrant Concubine. She's considered one of the five beauties of China.

"When it came in, I knew it was quite spectacular," he said.

It's about 10 inches tall and carved in minute detail — from the flowing folds over the woman's knee to the six delicate flowers in her basket.

He tells the story of how an 18th-century emperor conquered her land, killed her husband and claimed her as his own. But she declared that if he touched her, she would kill herself and him. He was infatuated with her. The other concubines and empresses became jealous and offered her poison, which she consumed.

"The emperor was heartbroken, so he had a lot of images made of her, including this one," he said. It's possible that this was one of his original commissions, although it hasn't been confirmed.

Till has been asked to talk more slowly, but it's not that easy.

"It's hard because there's so much you want to tell."

asmart@timescolonist.com