Diplomatic Residential Compounds > News > Company news > Civilizations Become Richer Through Exchange and Mutual Learning——Briefing on the Visit of Foreign Diplomats to the Forbidden City in 2020

Civilizations Become Richer Through Exchange and Mutual Learning——Briefing on the Visit of Foreign Diplomats to the Forbidden City in 2020
2020-12-07

To further deepen friendly cooperation with diplomatic missions, enhance mutual understanding and friendship and promote the services and brand of DRC, as well as traditional Chinese culture, on October 23rd, almost 40 high-level diplomats participated in the trip of“foreign diplomats to the Forbidden City”, jointly organized by the Palace Museum,Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions (BDS) and Beijing Housing Service Corporation for Diplomatic Missions.The visitors were from24 countriesincluding Austria, Spain, Argentina, Greece, Uruguay, Japan and South Korea. Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum, Fan Yong and Li Anrong,Deputy Director-Generalof theProtocol Departmentof the ForeignMinistry, Li Li, Director General ofBDS, Jiang Qi,Executive Deputy Director Generalof BDS and leaders from Beijing Housing Service Corporation for Diplomatic Missions also participated in the visit.

Director General Li Li first thanked Director Wang Xudong for providing this opportunity to gather diplomats on the very meaningful moment, which is the 600thanniversary of the Forbidden City and 95thanniversary of the Palace Museum, despite his busy schedule. Founded in 1962, the BDS has always adhered to itsdivine mission of "Serving Diplomatic Cause Serving Diplomatic Missions” byprovidingall-round servicesfor Embassies, international organizations and overseas news media. In recent years, the BDS and the Palace Museum have jointly organizedmany diplomatic activities. The diplomatic missions have always actively responded to the meaningful events with unique themes. The diplomats will surely deepen their understanding of China’s valuable cultural heritage thanks to the exhibition “Everlasting Splendor: Six Centuries at the Forbidden City”.

Director Wang Xudong then vividly reviewed the history of 600 years of the Forbidden City withdetailed picturesand presented the meanings of its architecture, the size of its collection and its history. He said the Palace Museum would endeavor to carry out its sacred mission of protecting,inheriting andpromotingtraditional Chinese culture by advanced technology and management methods, and thanked all sectors of society and international friends for their strongeverlastingsupport to the Forbidden City. The wonderful speech sparked the interest of foreign guests and invited them to think. The diplomats from the Embassies of the United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Britain, Turkey and Japan had an in-depth and frank exchange with Director Wang Xudong on the history of the Forbidden City in modern times, the future of digitalization of museums, and improving the reception capacity of the Forbidden City in a heated atmosphere.

The diplomats then headed to theHallof Literary Brillianceto visit the Special Exhibition on the Paintings and Calligraphy of Su Shi. The Exhibition selected 61 sets of books, paintings andinscriptionsrelated to Su Shi, to show his artisticattainmentsand charming personality and his influence on the generations to come. The diplomats then walked to the Meridian Gate for the exhibition “Everlasting Splendor: Six Centuries at the Forbidden City” and carefully listened to the guide’s explanationon the planning, layout, architecture, palace life, maintenance and protection of architecture of the Forbidden City. The foreign guests all said that it was a rare opportunity to admire the palaces closely, so that they could fully appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

Half a day passed quickly and the visit ended by sunset. The foreign guests frequently took pictures with their cellphones to keep unique and fond memoriesof the Forbidden City. The Cultural Counselor of the Japanese Embassy highly appreciated the event for it was very meaningful and beneficial. The Ambassador of Iceland said that although he had visited the Forbidden City several times, the event still brought him new surprises; The Ambassador of Uruguay said he was much honored to be invited to this visit, and felt the enthusiasm and profound friendship with which the BDS, Beijing Housing Service Corporation and DRC rendered service to diplomatic missions.

Thanks to this trip to the Forbidden City which offered guided tour, lecture and exhibition, the diplomats have fully experienced the charm and the vitality of Chinese culture, as well as theforward-looking and advanced nature of the Forbidden City in the digitizationofmuseums.If we respect and treasure other's culture/values, the world will be a harmonious one. While providing all-round services for diplomatic missions, the BDS, Beijing Housing Service Corporation and DRC are committed tobuilding a bridge for the missions to understand and experience traditional Chinese culture and to building an international cultural exchange platform.Civilizations become richer through exchange and mutual learning.Despitechallenges such as the COVID-19 epidemic,the BDS and Beijing Housing Service Corporation are unwaveringly committed toserving diplomatic cause and diplomatic missions. In the future, thanks to our high-quality resources, we will keep innovating cultural exchange forms in order to provide more meaningful services for the missions!

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Director General Li Li delivered a speech.

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Director Wang Xudong reviewed the history of the Forbidden City.

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The foreign diplomats are attending a lecture.

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Group photo of the foreign diplomats


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October 26th 2020

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