The Centre culturel de Chine in Paris hosts the exhibition “Un siècle de conservation: De la Cité interdite au Musée du Palais” (“A century of conservation: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum”)

To mark the centenary of Beijing’s Palace Museum, the Centre culturel de Chine in Paris is hosting an exhibition of rare visual richness: Un siècle de conservation – De la Cité interdite au Musée du Palais (A century of conservation – From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum). Running from November 10, 2025 to January 20, 2026, the exhibition offers an unprecedented look at the evolution of China’s most famous imperial palace, now a world-renowned museum.

One hundred years of safeguarding Chinese heritage.

Through a selection of historic photographs, the exhibition retraces the major stages in the transformation of the Forbidden City, from imperial residence to symbol of cultural transmission. This visual journey allows us to measure the preservation work carried out over the last hundred years by generations of curators and craftsmen, silent witnesses to a century of heritage change.

Three chapters for a shared heritage

The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections: the opening of the Forbidden City, the rebirth of the Palace and the harmony of shared chapters. These sections address the challenges of conservation, the reconstruction of buildings and the dialogue between past and present. Each shot bears witness to the patience and expertise required to safeguard a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This approach finds a particular echo in Paris, a museum city par excellence. By bringing these archives together in the French capital, the exhibition underlines the proximity between two great cultures attached to the memory of their monuments.

A Franco-Chinese cultural event

Presented for the first time in France, Un siècle de conservation also marks a new cycle in Sino-French cultural relations. In parallel, a sister exhibition is being held in Beijing, in the Porte du Midi hall.
On Monday November 10 at 2pm, a free lecture by Lou Wei, Executive Deputy Director of the Palace Museum, will look at the challenges of conserving intangible heritage and international cooperation between museums.
👉 Registration required on Billetweb.

Practical information

📍 Chinese Cultural Center in Paris – 1, boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg, 75007 Paris
🗓️ From November 10, 2025 to January 20, 2026
🕙 Monday to Friday: 10h-12h30 / 14h-17h30
🕘 Saturday: 10h-12h / 13h-17h (closed Sunday and holidays)

Other exhibitions to see in November in Paris