China's Forbidden City and the Vatican Museums are set to swap 40 works of art as part of efforts to bolster diplomatic relations between the Communist country and the seat of the Catholic Church.
The works -- including Chinese ceramics and paintings kept at the Vatican -- will be displayed at exhibitions due to open simultaneously in March at both the former seat of the Dragon Throne in Beijing and the pope's ethnological museum.
The Holy See and China, which severed diplomatic ties in 1951, are attempting to warm relations after decades of tension -- though the long-awaited rapprochement has currently slowed over who gets to ordain bishops.
"I am firmly convinced that the imminent exhibition will open a new chapter in cultural exchanges between the Chinese people and the Vatican," said Zhu Jiancheng, general secretary of the China Culture Industrial Investment Fund.
"The event is very important to promote mutual understanding and mutual trust. It will strengthen friendship and promote the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican," he told journalists on Tuesday.
Among the 40 works the Vatican will be lending, 38 will come from its "Anima Mundi" ancient Chinese collection.
The 39th will be loaned from the Pinacoteca (art gallery), while the last will be a work that artist Zhang Yan donated to Pope Francis.
The exhibition in China will begin in Beijing before heading to four other Chinese cities. Twelve of Zhang Yan's paintings will be included in the exhibition at the Vatican.
China's roughly 12 million Catholics are divided between those loyal to Beijing, whose clergy are chosen by the Communist Party, and members of a so-called "underground" church which swears allegiance to the Vatican.
Paris (AFP) Nov 20, 2017
From mediating in the crisis in Lebanon to defending Iran's nuclear deal, President Emmanuel Macron aims to fill the vacuum left by an isolationist America to boost France's clout in the Middle East. On Saturday, Macron hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri for talks aimed at trying to resolve the crisis triggered by Hariri's shock decision to resign on November 4. Hariri's announce ... read more
Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
| Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. |
||
| SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Oncecredit card or paypal |
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthlypaypal only |
|
from Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense http://ift.tt/2mPFRBC
via space News
No comments: