Authorities in China have ordered the closure of a museum in Jizhou, a city in the northern province of Hebei, after it was discovered that most of its exhibits on display were fake, counterfeit or knock-off items. Its license had likewise been revoked.

Inaugurated in 2010, the four-floor Jibaozhai Museum in Erpu village boasted of having a 40,000-strong collection of ancient and unique cultural relics scattered in its 12 exhibition halls.

The 540 million yuan (AU$95 million) worth facility which covers four hectares got under the spotlight after a visit by Beijing-based writer Ma Boyong, who wrote on his microblog that many of the exhibited items carry or give off misleading information to tourists.

Suffice to say, the nation best known for its cheap knockoffs had actually a museum full of them.

Among the fake, counterfeit or knock-off items included a vase which had been described as coming from the Qing dynasty but upon closer inspection was found to be decorated with modern cartoon characters.

Only in China, Nation Orders Closure of Museum Found Displaying 40,000 Fake, Counterfeit Exhibits

There were also artefacts with writings flaunted as more than 4,000 years old back to the time of China's Yellow Emperor. A report however by the Shanghai Daily negated this information as the writing seemed to be in simplified Chinese characters, which only became widespread in the 20th century.

A five-colour porcelain vase described as coming from the time of the Tang Dynasty was also on display. But Chinese authorities denied this, saying the technique was invented only hundreds of years later and that was already during the Ming Dynasty.

Only in China, Nation Orders Closure of Museum Found Displaying 40,000 Fake, Counterfeit Exhibits

Local residents have accused the owners and management of the museum of wasting money, as they claimed that more than 40,000 of the fake exhibits were bought at prices ranging from 100 yuan to 2,000 yuan.

They likewise accussed Wang Zongquan, the museum's owner and top local Communist Party official, of misusing village resources towards the museum.

But instead of apologizing, "even the gods cannot tell whether the exhibits are fake or not," he said.