On 11 April 2025, the exhibition halls of the Patriarch’s Palace and Assumption Belfry will open their doors to the exhibition “Fine Dining: Stories of Food in Ancient China”, which will present the art pieces from the collection of the National Museum of China for the first time in Russia. The exhibition at the Moscow Kremlin Museums is part of the official events program for the Russian-Chinese Intercultural Years 2024-2025, announced by the governments of both countries. The project is a feedback on the exhibition “Russian Feast – Traditional Foods, Drinks and the Art of Table Setting. From the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums” held in Beijing from November 2024 to March 2025. Both shows address the most important part of the culture of mankind – the gastronomic traditions, and present their national peculiarities.
The Chinese saying is, “People honour food like heaven.” Throughout almost 7,000 years of Chinese civilisation, traditions related to food have permeated every aspect of life, from daily routines to sacred rituals, philosophical concepts, and even state symbols. Moreover, they inspire artists, sculptors, literary figures, and musicians.
The exhibition introduces the main elements of Chinese ritual that embodied the essence of ancient civilisation. It was based primarily on the table ceremony. The types of vessels, the rules for their use, washing hands before eating, seating of guests, the kinds of food and their preparation, table etiquette — everything was strictly regulated. At the same time, many rituals remained unchanged for centuries, and some are still observed today.
The exhibition comprises one hundred and forty-five exhibits from the National Museum of China which are grouped into five sections: 'Food from the Eight Corners of the World', 'The Bouquet of Wine and the Scent of Tea', 'Evolution of Kitchenware', 'Precious Tableware', and 'The Ritual Starts with a Meal'. The visitors will learn about cereals, which serve as the base for the Chinese diet, the thousand-year-old traditions of tea and wine consumption, techniques of food cooking, the art of tableware production and the system of rituals referring to food and the way it is consumed.
The exhibition in the Assumption Belfry allows visitors to see China as a land of plenty, learn about many ancient culinary techniques, trace the evolution of kitchen utensils, and appreciate the richness of the Chinese diet, which has long included cereals, vegetables, fruits, and meat. Thanks to the ancient Chinese principle of "serving the dead as living", which underpinned the ancient Chinese funeral cult, the objects from tombs help portray the daily life of the Chinese across different periods. A special section of the display is dedicated to China's main drinks — wine and tea.
Throughout history, the Chinese have strived to make tableware both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The clay, porcelain, bronze, gold, silver, and jade objects on display in the exhibition hall of the Patriarch's Palace beautifully illustrate the Chinese proverb: "Exquisite food comes with exquisite tableware". This principle is fully reflected in the magnificent examples of table and ceremonial ware made from various materials such as ceramics, porcelain, lacquer, jade, bronze, and precious metals. It has also been a centuries-old tradition in China to combine delicious food with fine furnishings and beautiful spectacles of dance, music, acrobatics, theatre and board games.
The exposition will host such unique archaeological monuments as a ceramic granary model of the Han Dynasty (202-220 BC) referring to the thought-out system of cereals storage, or the bronze Ding tripod in the form of entwined square spirals of the Spring and Autumn Period (770– 476 BC). The status of a person in society could be defined through the amount of such tripods - for example, the ruler-wáng was expected to possess nine Dings, whereas the representatives of the service class - only three. The theme of drinks will be uncovered with the help of such items as the porcelain plate with the inscription “Good Wine” of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which was most likely produced for the wine shop or pub that had reached the highest point of development at that time. Porcelain bowls known as gaiwan and made in the Famille rose style were popular in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), thanks to the lids which allowed stirring tea leaves for an even infusion.
Many rituals mentioned at the exhibition had remained unchanged for centuries, and some of them are still observed today. The visitors will have an opportunity to explore the manners and customs of China through the most valued traditional kitchen utensils, original everyday and ceremonial dishware, painting scrolls, costumes, and musical instruments. The guests will learn about aesthetics, manners of eating and philosophical ideas reflected in table culture, see the evolution of ancient Сhinese gastronomic tradition.
Duration 11 April — 17 August 2025
Exhibition hall of the Patriarch’s Palace, Exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry
For further information, please contact the Moscow Kremlin Museums’ Press Office:
+7 (495) 695-41-87
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