A painting exhibition, displaying the work of Chinese and Belgian Masters, over five centuries, opened on Tuesday June 26th in the Palace Museum. As its name "The Forbidden Empire-Vision of the World by Chinese and Flemish Masters" implies, the exhibition presents, in parallel, two civilizations, two cultures, two ways of thinking, and two visions of the world, covering a period from about 1450 to 1950. Chinese artists' works are presented in Wuyingdian, or the Hall of Military Eminence, in the south part of the Palace Museum. Their Belgian counterparts' works are presented in the Wumen Gallery, which is quite close by. Although most of the works of the two countries' artists are shown separately, there are still some precious works from different artists of the same time period shown together. As Yu Hui, the research director of the Palace Museum, said, the exhibition stimulates the two countries' cultural communication on three levels. Visitors can not only see the relationships and the differences in terms of themes, techniques, and visions of the art works, but also learn more about the differences in lifestyles between the two peoples in ancient times. Yu Qingqing a student visitor considers it a good opportunity to learn history. It's not just Chinese people who are fond of Belgian art. Westerners are also fascinated by Chinese culture. Belgium's crown prince Philip is one of them. The Forbidden Empire exhibition is one of the several Belgian-Chinese exchange projects supported by the Chinese Ministry for Culture and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Flemish and French Communities of Belgium. The precious arts have been presented in Brussels early this year. The Beijing show will last from June 27th to September 5th in the Palace Museum's Wumen Gallery and in Wuyingdian.