World Culture: Treasures of Forbidden City to be displayed at Louvre

As an important project that aims to promote the national relics of China, the Palace Museum is preparing for a large-scale exhibition to rebuild a Forbidden City – the main palace of Chinese Emperors 15th – early 20th cc., and today the Palace Museum – at the heart of France's art scene, the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Several collections from the Forbidden City will be on exhibit for the first time ever at the Louvre. Starting from the end of September, visitors will be able to catch up with the cultural relics from the imperial lives of Ming and Qing Dynasty, a period that dates back 600 years.

About 130 sets of artifacts include weaponry, clothing, bronzes, jade wares, lacquer ware, enamels and ceramics, all of which offer art lovers a chance to peer back into the lives of ancient emperors.

Lv Chenglong, researcher of The Palace Musuem, Beijing, said, "155 ancient relics will be sent to France this time. 22 of them are first-class national treasures, and many of the portraits and thrones have never left China. This exhibition will examine the parallel history of the palace as the emperors' home and as a museum." The layout of the exhibition will be divided into four sections: politics, arts, architecture, and home life.

The exhibition "Forbidden City at the Louvre" will be open from September 29th through January 9th, 2012.