An unprecedented exhibition on Chinese Emperor Qianlong (1711-99), currently running at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, has attracted over 50,000 visitors, with a memorable experience of the culture and history of China, said Dimitrios Pandermalis, president of the museum.
"People are very excited about what they have seen here. I think it is very important for the Greek audience to have, for the first time, a real view of China's history and a person who was an excellent ruler and artistļ¼¨something unusual for leaders," said Pandermalis.
The study room of EmperorĀ Qianlong in the "Palace of Many Splendors" is seen at the exhibition titled "From the Forbidden City: The Imperial Apartments of Qianlong."/Xinhua Photo
The temporary exhibition, "From the Forbidden City: Imperial Apartments of Qianlong," was inaugurated in September in partnership with Beijing's Palace Museum. It will be on display until February 14 next year.
Pandermalis sees the collaboration between the Acropolis Museum and the Palace Museum as excellent and fruitful, adding that such synergies bring the two cultures closer and broaden Sino-Greek relations.
Last week, 12 important artworks were withdrawn due to the fragility of the materials from which they are made. They were replaced by 12 other pieces, offering a fresh look at the exhibition.
Visitors take photos of the exhibition titled "From the Forbidden City: The Imperial Apartments of Qianlong" at the Acropolis Museum, Athens. /VCG Photo
"This was necessary for conservation reasons. We changed mainly the ceremonial robes, costumes, and some other minor objects. I think this gives the exhibition another flavor," Pandermalis noted.
Drawing inspiration directly from the palaces of the Forbidden City, visitors can travel through time to the "Palace of Many Splendors" (Chonghua Gong), the palace where the emperor used to live when he was an imperial prince, to admire the bedroom with the beautiful decorations of golden flowers, the emperor's study desk made of red sandalwood and the statues that reveal his devotion to Tibetan Buddhism.
"The visitors get a first impression of the symbolic objects and the environment of the Chinese tradition," Pandermalis said.
A visitor looks at the queen's "room of fragant orchids," during the official opening of the Acropolis Museum's rare temporary exhibition "From the Forbidden City: Imperial Apartments of Qianlong" in Athens, September 14, 2018. /VCG Photo
Pandermalis believes that the dialogue between the two cultures can continue after the end of this exhibition. To enhance the cooperation of the two museums, he suggested that both sides share their experiences in other fields of expertise.
(Cover: A visitor looks at a ceremonial robe of China's 18th-century Emperor Qianlong, one of the most renowned rulers in Chinese history, during the official opening of the Acropolis Museum's rare temporary exhibition "From the Forbidden City: Imperial Apartments of Qianlong" in Athens, September 14, 2018. /VCG Photo)