Exhibition “The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries” opens to the public

The exhibition of The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries officially opened at the Forbidden City on April 1, and lasts till June 30.

As an important event of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, this exhibition focuses on the diplomatic, cultural, and artistic exchanges between China and France. It showcases approximately 200 cultural relics from the Palace Museum, the Palace of Versailles, and other collecting institutions, demonstrating the history of political interactions marked by mutual respect and appreciation, as well as the history of cultural exchanges characterized by mutual learning and inspiration.

At the same time, under the proposal of the French Embassy in China, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Sino-French Cultural Spring (Festival Croisements) also begins. Sino-French Cultural Spring was founded in 2006 to promote exchanges and dialogue between art institutions and artists in China and France, showcasing the innovation and vitality of Chinese and French and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the sides.

The opening of this exhibition is also a new beginning of exchange and cooperation between the Forbidden City and French institutions. During the opening ceremony, the Forbidden City signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Palace of Versailles, Musée Guimet and Cartier. The Forbidden City has maintained a good relationship and broad prospects with the three institutions mentioned above.

This exhibition will take people back to the history of the interaction between China and France over a hundred years from the second half of the 17th century to the 18th century. Although China and France are separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, they have made continuous attempts to understand each other in history. Their mutual attraction and interest have always been deeply inked in historical memories, and creating a beautiful story of exchanges and mutual learning in the history of world civilization development.