Exhibition of the Moscow Kremlin Museums to introduce guests to the history of Russian gastronomic culture in China

The National Museum of China in Beijing on 20 November opens an exhibition from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums "Russian Feast – Traditional Food, Drinks and the Art of Table Setting. From the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums", which will last until 16 March 2025. The exposition, timed to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, became part of the exchange programme within the framework of the Years of Culture between Russia and China 2024-2025.

Visitors will be able to see masterpieces from the Armoury Chamber, the oldest museum in Russia. They include unique examples of silver, porcelain and glassware, cutlery, kitchen utensils, costumes and paintings. Special attention is paid to rare exhibits that have not only artistic but also memorial value – personal belongings of Russian rulers and diplomatic gifts presented to them.

Elena Gagarina, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, told TV BRICS that this is the first joint project with the National Museum of China. She expressed confidence that the exhibition would help strengthen cultural contacts between the two countries and open up new prospects for joint scientific and exhibition activities.

"Today we are proud to present a number of outstanding works from the Kremlin collection at the National Museum of China. These are more than 150 exhibits of exceptional aesthetic value, historical and memorial significance. They will acquaint visitors with the complex and multifaceted phenomenon of the Russian table, which required from its creators high culinary and artistic skills, impeccable taste, mastery of table etiquette and deep knowledge of national customs," Gagarina said.

The exhibition covers the period from the Middle Ages to the mid-20th century and is divided into three thematic sections. The first tells about traditional products and methods of their preparation, the second recreates the atmosphere of solemn meals held within the walls of the Moscow Kremlin – royal feasts, coronation banquets and official receptions of the Soviet era. The final section presents food as a special form of art.

The exhibition "The Legacy of Peter the Great and Coups d'Etat in the Russian Empire" also opened earlier in Moscow. The exposition, set up in the halls of the Patriarchal Palace and the Assumption Belfry of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, will introduce guests to the palace intrigues and struggles for the throne that spanned the period from the reign of Catherine I to Paul I. It will be open until 23 February 2025.

Photo: iStock / Moscow Kremlin Museums