Exhibition: The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles

The year 2024 was the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, also marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties. From April 1 to June 30, The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges Between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries was held at the Hall of Literary Glory in the Palace Museum . The exhibition was jointly hosted by the Palace Museum and the Palace of Versailles.

The exhibition features 200-plus pieces of relics from a number of institutions including the Palace Museum and the Palace of Versailles and consists of three sections: Encounter of the Dragon and the Fleur-de-lis, The French Landscape in the Forbidden City, and Chinese Vogue at Versailles. It vividly showcased the interactions and exchanges between China and France in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Emperor Kangxi and King Louis XIV of France showed strong interest in each other's country. In 1688, King Louis XIV dispatched some mathematicians to Beijing, who were received by Emperor Kangxi. Among them, Joachim Bouvet and Jean-Francois Gerbillon stayed to serve the Qing royal court. Across the following century, the two countries conducted extensive exchanges in areas like politics, economics, science and technology, culture, and arts.

The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles both bore witness to historical events of exchanges between China and France while acting as symbols of their respective cultures. In contemporary times, they are continuing efforts to foster exchanges and mutual learning between the two countries.

The Palace of Versailles and the Palace Museum have cooperated to hold an exhibition on Emperor Kangxi and an exhibition on King Louis XIV consecutively. The exhibition The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles marked a new starting point for exchanges and cooperation between the Palace Museum and French cultural institutions.

“紫禁城與凡爾賽宮”展覽

2024年是中法建交60周年暨中法文化旅游年。2024年4月1日至6月30日，由故宮博物院和凡爾賽宮殿、博物館及國家園林公共機構（凡爾賽宮）聯合主辦的“紫禁城與凡爾賽宮——17、18世紀的中法交往”展覽，在故宮博物院文華殿展廳對公眾開放。

該展覽精選故宮博物院、凡爾賽宮等多家機構200余件藏品，通過“龍與百合花的相遇”“紫禁城中的法國風景”“凡爾賽宮的中國時尚”三個單元，生動描繪17、18世紀中法交往的盛況。1688年，法國國王路易十四和中國康熙皇帝彼此之間充滿濃厚興趣，因此，五位“國王數學家”到北京，得到康熙皇帝接見，其中白晉（Joachim Bouvet）和張誠（Jean-Francois Gerbillon）留在宮廷。此后百余年，兩國在政治、經濟、科技、文化、藝術等領域展開全方位交流。

紫禁城和凡爾賽宮，是歷史上中法交往的見證地，也是各自國家文化的象征符號，在當代延續著交流互鑒的故事。凡爾賽宮和故宮博物院先后合作舉辦過康熙大帝展、太陽王路易十四展。此次展覽開幕也是故宮博物院與法國文化機構交流合作的新開端。