Two cultural exhibitions to open in Paris

The opening ceremony of the exhibition which presents the story of China's Old Summer Palace. [Photo/Xinhua]

Two exhibitions marking the 50th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic ties will be unveiled in Paris, capital of France, on September 8, aiming to deepen exchange and understanding between the two sister cities.

Between September 8 and 16, an exhibition entitled "The Villa of Dr. Jean Bussiere (1872-1960), a French Doctor in Beijing" will be held at the Association des Amis de Nouvelles d'Europe. Through photos, objects, video and staged scenes, the exhibition will bring to life Bussiere's 41 years of helping the Chinese people and contributing to China's anti-Fascist war in Beijing. The exhibition is divided into three sections themed "Doctor," "Neighbor" and "Friend".

The Villa of Bussiere, located in Sujiatuo town in Beijing's Haidian district, is the former residence of Bussiere, a big-hearted French doctor who lived there in the early 20th century.

Yuanmingyuan Garden plans exhibition in Paris

Bussiere, who came to China in 1913, offered free treatment to locals for many years and tried his best to introduce advanced French medical expertise and technologies to China. His residence served as an important venue for members of the Communist Party of China to exchange intelligence during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945). He also helped the Eighth Route Army to buy medicine and transport it to anti-Japanese bases.

The second exhibition, which presents the story of China's Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, will also be staged at the Xinhua Gallery and the Association des Amis de Nouvelles d'Europe during this period.

Valuable replicas of relics, models, documents and priceless photographs will be displayed at the Xinhua Gallery in an attempt to reproduce the beautiful scenery, amazing landscape, rich imperial customs and fantastic architecture of Yuanmingyuan, dubbed the "garden of all gardens".

Visitors can take a virtual tour of the imperial garden's vast collection of treasures at the tech-friendly exhibition and watch a 3D film on the palace's gardens.

In displaying the garden's past brilliance, the stark changes it underwent and its rebirth, the exhibition aims to motivate visitors to think back on history and cherish China's great historical and cultural heritage.

The exhibition will also offer visitors a rare chance to truly experience traditional Chinese art forms, including calligraphy, painting and Peking Opera at the Association des Amis de Nouvelles d'Europe.

It's the third time that Yuanmingyuan has "gone abroad" since the garden and palace complex was built some 300 years ago.

Yuanmingyuan's first two overseas exhibitions were held in Berlin (Germany) and Moscow (Russia) in December 2012 and September 2013, attracting great international interest in the garden and in Chinese culture overall.