Imperial exhibition attracts a large audience in Athens

The unprecedented exhibition on Chinese emperor Qianlong (1711-99), currently running at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, has attracted over 50,000 visitors, offering a memorable experience of the culture and history of China, says 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 artist - something unusual for leaders," Pandermalis says.

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 Feb 14 next year.