China and France agree to hold regular exhibition exchanges

The Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden and the Chateau de Chambord officially signed an agreement on Oct. 13, 2014 to strengthen cooperation in cultural heritage protection.

Under the agreement, regular exhibitions will be held and digital display technology be shared.

The Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden and the Chateau de Chambord are both world-famous royal gardens, which are inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden, located in the western suburbs of Beijing, was built in 1709. Known as the "garden of gardens", it covers an area of 160,000 square meters. The Chateau de Chambord is more than one hour's drive from Paris. Started by Francois I and designed by Da Vinci and other artists, it boasts a history of over 500 years.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations this year, Yuanmingyuan Recovers – The Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden French Culture Exhibition was held in the Chateau de Chambord of France. On Oct. 13, the "Chambord - Royal Castle" Cultural Exhibition also opened in the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden.

China and France signed a cooperation agreement at the meeting, agreeing to strengthen Sino-French cultural, education and scientific exchanges by developing tourism, to boost joint music, garden renovation and heritage protection projects.

"These two royal gardens have a lot in common," said Li Xiangyang, deputy director of the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden Management Office, "They both have many buildings in a very typical European style. Artists and architects from both countries should exchange their ideas more. For example, during the rehabilitation of parts of the ruins in the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden, problems like tree transplanting and demolition of houses should be dealt with together."

"In the future, China and France will hold regular exhibition exchanges in the hope that we can promote the exchange and training of the cultural protection team, experts and tour guides," saidthe director of the Chambord Management Office. "In addition, we will also cooperate on landscaping and digital technology."

Du also noted that travel guidebooks for Chinese tourists had been rewritten and Chinese websites strengthened. "We do this in the hope that people from both countries will understand each other's history and culture better," the director said.