BEIJING, April 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report
from China.org.cn on exchanges between China and France:
"Knowing that Your Majesty is eager to attract talents…a few
years ago, we decided to assign six learned mathematicians… to
bring to Your Majesty the latest scientific knowledge." These are
lines from a letter in 1688, written by the then French King Louis
XIV to "his very dear friend" Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.
But due to various reasons, it failed to reach the Forbidden
City.
But three centennials later, the letter is now "delivered": At
the exhibition "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles — Exchanges Between China and
France in the 17th and 18th
Centuries," this letter is shown as the opening piece along with
200 or so other exhibits. Together, they unveiled a period of a
two-way pursuit between China and
France despite geographical
distance and cultural differences.
At that time, Chinese elements could be spotted everywhere in
the Palace of Versailles. Louis
XIV, a passionate lover of Chinese culture, built a house decorated
with porcelain — the Trianon de porcelaine, and he even dressed up
in traditional Chinese costume at a ball he threw to celebrate the
inception of the 18th century. Local craftsmanship in France has also been influenced by Chinese
artistry, and in the craftwork one can see a fusion of cultures and
a mixture of styles. In a way, the prevalence of Chinese
craftsmanship and art also played a part in the birth of the Rococo
style.
As eastern culture spread to the west, works with French authors
introducing various aspects of China mushroomed in France, which was also influential to French
society as a whole. According to French Sinologist Rémi Mathieu,
France reformed its talent
election system inspired by China's imperial civil examination system back
then. Deeply influenced by Confucius, French Enlightenment writer
and philosopher Voltaire also paid tribute to this great
philosopher in his works.
Of course, no communication or integration could have been
possible with only efforts from one side. Back in the 17th century,
another batch of mathematicians made it to China, and were received by Emperor Kangxi.
They brought to China
state-of-the-art knowledge and scientific apparatuses from the
west, and two of them even became teachers of Emperor Kangxi,
teaching him geometry and other disciplines. In the Yuanmingyuan
Park, the famous Dashuifa site was designed by French Jesuit
scientist Michel Benoist.
France's craftsmanship played an
important role in the birth of China's translucent enamel techniques…
In the exhibition we mentioned at the beginning, a little pocket
watch, which is considered to be a gift from Louis XIV to Kangxi is
also on show. The face of the watch manifests golden lilies, which
stand for the French monarch; on the protection shield of the watch
movement, a carved-out dragon can be found, a symbol of the Chinese
emperor. This pocket watch was preserved in the Palace Museum for
over 300 years, as a witness to the efforts the two imperial rulers
made to communicate with and extend friendship between each
other.
More than three centuries ago, the gaze and interactions between
the dragon and the lily, were deemed as a tale worth telling; 60
years ago, the People's Republic of
China and the Republic of France decided to establish diplomatic
relations against the backdrop of Cold War estrangement and
tensions between the east and the west, a move that embodied
insightful wisdom and courage, and initiated a new chapter for
collaboration between the east and the west. During the past six
decades, cordial cooperation in economy and trade, as well as
people-to-people exchanges have been the prevailing trend between
the two countries, which set examples for international exchanges
and mutual learning.
The story between the Forbidden City and the Palace of
Versailles will be continued with
more touching and fascinating episodes, about which we are hopeful
and confident.
China
Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm
When the Forbidden City Meets the Palace of Versailles
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2024-04/19/content_117137423.htm
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SOURCE China.org.cn