On 10 April 2025, the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Fine Dining: Stories of Food in Ancient China" on gastronomic traditions of the Middle Kingdom took place as part of the official programme of events for the Russian-Chinese Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2024-2025.

The exhibition brings together 145 exhibits from the National Museum of China, whose collection is being shown in Russia for the first time. The project tells about the diet of the ancient Chinese, cooking techniques, the art of making tableware and the system of rituals connected with meals.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mr Zhang Wei – Charge d'Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation, Elena Kharlamova – Director of the Department of Museums and Circus Art Support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Elena Gagarina – General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, Andrey Rudenko – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Zhang Weimin – Deputy Director of the National Museum of China, and Alexandra Soroka – Deputy Director of the Department for Public Projects and Interaction with Governmental Institutions of PJSC Transneft.

Mr. Zhang Wei, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Moscow, opened the exhibition and read a congratulatory message on behalf of Ms. Shen Yiqin, Member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Head of the Organising Committee for the Preparation and Implementation of the China-Russia Year of Culture on the Chinese side.

In particular, it says: "Gastronomic art has no borders. As an important part of national heritage, food culture preserves historical memory and humanitarian heritage. The exhibitions on food culture organised by the National Museum of China and the Moscow Kremlin Museums use culinary masterpieces as a means of communication. They become a cultural bridge that brings the people of the two countries closer together and strengthens mutual understanding and friendship."

Elena Mikhailovna Kharlamova read out a message of welcome to the guests and organisers of the exhibition from Tatiana Alekseevna Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and Chair of the Organising Committee for the Preparation and Implementation of the Russia-China Years of Culture.

"In today's multipolar world, in connection with the development of tourism, interest in the gastronomic traditions of other nations is extremely high, and often serves as a first step towards getting to know the history and culture of the country, and also contributes to better understanding between people," emphasised T.A. Golikova.

The welcoming address was sent by Olga Borisovna Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, and read by Elena Gagarina, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

The Minister noted: "The special value of the project lies in its comprehensive approach: food is considered not only as a part of material life, but also as a carrier of spiritual values, an element of national identity. I am sure that the exhibition will arouse great interest among a wide audience, become an important contribution to strengthening humanitarian ties and give impetus to further joint initiatives."

Andrey Yurievich Rudenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, then welcomed the guests. "National cuisine is part of the original code, a significant historical and cultural heritage and an important element of everyday life. A feast is not only the satisfaction of basic needs, but also a source of inspiration, the best way to strengthen friendship and achieve harmony. Today, when attempts to discredit and even abolish the cultures of peoples are multiplying in the world, the work of carefully preserving and demonstrating cultural diversity is especially necessary," he said.

"Russians love to receive guests and do so very warmly. In the Chinese tradition, receiving guests is also a very important part of the culture. There are one hundred and forty-five exhibits on display here, which comprehensively show the Chinese culinary tradition and everything related to it. The main idea is to present everything systematically and show what food culture is and how it is combined with material and spiritual culture. That is because food culture is not just about eating and satisfying hunger. We hope that this exhibition has fully outlined the spiritual culture behind it and shown the rich Chinese cuisine in material and spiritual terms," said Mr. Zhang Weimin.

At the end of the event, Alexandra Evgenievna Soroka, Deputy Director of the Department for Public Projects and Interaction with Governmental Institutions of PJSC Transneft, read a congratulatory message from Nikolay Petrovich Tokarev, President of PJSC Transneft.

"Over the years of our cooperation with the Moscow Kremlin Museums, many brilliant projects of unique content have been implemented. As part of its support for international cultural and humanitarian initiatives, Transneft company pays great attention to the development of so-called "people's diplomacy". This work always brings positive results and makes it possible to build bridges of mutual understanding in the human dimension. The traditions of national cuisine are one of the favourite topics of such informal dialogues," he pointed out.

Elena Gagarina, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, thanked the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and PJSC Transneft for their support in organising this unique exhibition project.

General sponsor of the display – PJSC Transneft

The show runs from 11 April 2025 to 17 August 2025

Exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry and Exhibition hall of the Patriarch’s Palace