On September 23, THE IMMORTALS CHRONICLE YONGLE PALACE MURAL ART EXHIBITION opened at China Cultural Center in Stockholm. H.E. Zhou Limin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Sweden, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. Li Rui, Minister Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Sweden, accompanied him. Other distinguished guests included Zhang Qing, an expert in the conservation and study of the Yongle Palace murals, renowned painter and collector Ren Jianguo, and Professor Johan Fresk of the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Stockholm University. More than 100 guests from various sectors gathered at the fully attended venue to witness this artistic encounter spanning eight centuries.
In his remarks, Ambassador Zhou Limin noted that Sweden was among the first countries to systematically collect and study Chinese cultural heritage. Generations of Swedish sinologists and archaeologists have made sustained contributions, laying a solid foundation for China-Sweden friendship. He expressed hope that the exhibition would further deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation in cultural heritage conservation, digitalization, and exhibitions.
Zhang Qing, an expert in the conservation and study of the Yongle Palace murals, delivered a special lecture titled A Glimpse of a Millennium Through Mural Art. Focusing on the temple murals of Shanxi, she explored their historical, cultural, and architectural contexts, inviting the audience to discover the China Story preserved in mural art across the centuries.
Ren Jianguo, a renowned painter and collector, shared his experience of copying the Yongle Palace murals 44 years ago. He described the murals as an “encyclopedia” of Chinese painting techniques, highlighting their unique artistic value through their expressive lines, enduring colors, and the collective wisdom and craftsmanship of the anonymous artists who created them.
In his remarks, Johan Fresk, Professor at Stockholm University’s Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, noted that Chinese painting is not only an art form to be appreciated in books or displayed in scholars’ studies, but also an art that people can “step into.” Through its diverse forms of presentation, the exhibition offers Swedish audiences a new way to experience and engage with ancient Chinese mural art.
THE IMMORTALS CHRONICLE YONGLE PALACE MURAL ART EXHIBITION is the first exhibition of Yongle Palace mural art in Sweden. Centered on the renowned Yuan Dynasty mural Chaoyuan Tu, the exhibition is presented in five sections: mural art reproduction, exploration of mural colors, digital restoration, reproduction of mural attire, and display of cultural and creative products, combining traditional painting techniques with modern digital technology. A half-scale reproduction of the Chaoyuan Tu, officially created by the Yongle Palace Mural Research Institute, is on display, along with AI-assisted digital restoration, the Virtual Tour of Yongle Palace VR experience, a reproduction of the Queen Mother of the West’s attire, and cultural and creative products, showcasing the artistic appeal and contemporary value of the Yongle Palace murals.
The exhibition is guided by China Cultural Heritage Exchange Center and jointly organized by China Cultural Center in Stockholm, Ruicheng County People’s Government, and the Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute of Shanxi Province, with Beijing Whale World Technology Co., Ltd. and Fragments of Civilization (Beijing) Cultural Development Co., Ltd. as co-organizers. The exhibition runs through October 31, providing a platform for China-Sweden cultural exchange and bringing eight centuries of Chinese art to life in Northern Europe.
