Palace treasure to be shown 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 at the heart of France's art scene, the Louvre Museum in Paris. After a few months' planning, now the relics are packed up and ready for shipment.

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, lacquerware, 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."