An exhibition on exchanges between China and France from the late 17th Century to the 18th Century opened in Beijing's Palace Museum on Monday.

Titled "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Exchanges Between China and France in the 17th and 18th Centuries", the exhibition centers on diplomatic and cultural exchanges between China and France, featuring about 200 selected items, which are mainly from the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
"The cultural relics selected by the Palace Museum include clocks, porcelain wares, calligraphic works, paintings, enamel wares and books. Cultural relics provided by the French side mainly include block prints, oil paintings and porcelain wares. These exhibits serve to reflect the active exchanges between China and France in areas including politics, culture and arts in the 17th and 18th centuries," said Guo Fuxiang, researcher with the Palace Museum and the exhibition's curator on the Chinese side.
The exhibition highlights the year 1688, when King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) sent his mathematicians to China. The mathematicians were received by Emperor Kangxi of China (1654-1722), hence starting a period of political interactions and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The cultural interactions between China and France are reflected by many of the royal items preserved in the two palaces. One of the key items in the exhibition was a pocket watch believed to be a gift from the Sun King to the Emperor. The watch features patterns of three fleur-de-lis arms of the Kings of France, on the dial plate, the image of Louis XIV on its back, and a golden dragon symbolizing China carved on the inside.
"This pocket watch combines the symbols of China and France. We believe this pocket watch was a gift from King Louis XIV to Emperor Kangxi. We could see from this the efforts and attempts to promote friendship and exchanges made by the emperor and the king," Guo said.
The late 17th Century and the 18th Century are considered the golden age of exchanges between the Chinese and French royal courts and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The king's mathematicians generated great influence to the court of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in science, art, cartography and many other fields.
The imperial court's enamel wares were most noticeably influenced by French style enamel. As interactions increased between China and France, it became common for the imperial court to order custom-made art pieces from France. The exhibition has presented pieces of enamel wares French craftsmen made in accordance with drawings provided by the Chinese side and shipped to the imperial court in the 1700s.
The exhibition will open for three months.