An exhibition presenting the Forbidden City as a vital platform for dialogue among China, other parts of Asia and Europe began at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on Wednesday.

Titled “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Forbidden City and the World – Cultural Encounters”, the exhibition brings together more than 130 objects from the collections of the Palace Museum, the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.

Spanning more than 600 years – from the Yuan (1271–1368), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties – the exhibition weaves a rich tapestry of interactions between China, other parts of Asia, and Europe in diplomacy, trade, science and technology, philosophy, and craftsmanship, where foreign influences were absorbed, adapted, and woven into court culture.

China Daily's Andy Chong took the photos during a media preview on Tuesday.