A pagoda in the heart of Paris

CGTN Europe

Imagine a Chinese-style pagoda in the heart of Paris, surrounded by Haussmannian architecture. The Pagoda Paris, originally a typical townhouse, was transformed into a hub for Asian art in the Western world in the 1920s. It has played an important role in introducing Chinese art to the Western world.   #tracesofchina

Transcript

00:00This building was known as the Paris Pagoda and was transformed into an authentic looking

00:07pagoda to be a centre point for Asian art dealings in the Western world.

00:12What are the most interesting architectural features here?

00:16You have all the architectural features of a Chinese pagoda and all the elements, this

00:21window lacing for example is exactly the same lacing as it is in the Forbidden City.

00:27This is incredible!

00:28It is.

00:29It is still amazing even after a hundred years.

00:33It's almost modern I feel.

00:35So the whole building was used to showcase Chinese and Asian art.

00:41And lacquer walls or paravents were a big feature and it was unique, it had never been

00:47seen in France before.

00:49Look what I found.

00:51Wow!

00:52Does it still work?

00:53Yes, it's a direct line to the Forbidden City of course.

00:58Thilo once said, art has no frontiers.

01:02Art is travelling as a silent ambassador to spread the word about culture and civilisation.

01:09And I think that was true then and it's still true now.

01:13We speak about Chinoiserie today.

01:15You also have to understand that the European taste in the Chinese court was as important

01:21as the Chinoiserie taste in the French court.

01:28Look at this window.

01:35It really symbolises the idea of the pagoda to bring together the East and the West.

01:40We have the impression to be in China, but when you look out of the window you see the

01:45Haussmannian architecture.

01:47And the magic is one doesn't disturb the other, in fact it's complementing each other.

Category

Transcript

Recommended