7. The most impressive art exhibition: Ten Masterpieces of French Painting

A visitor takes photos of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's paintings, The Swing (l) and Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (r) at the National Museum of China in Bejing April 11, 2014. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and France, ten artistic masterpieces from France will go on display at the National Museum of China for the first time from April 11 to June 16. [Photo by Jiang Dong / China Daily]

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations, 10 artistic masterpieces from France were on display at the National Museum of China for the first time, from April 12 to June 15.

The exhibition, which the Chinese President Xi Jinping and French counterpart Francois Hollande have written a preface for, is no doubt a major one this year. It was also a rare chance for Chinese people to enjoy French masterpieces at home, and has won much acclaim from the public.

The exhibition displayed 10 paintings from five French museums, the hallmarks of French art history, including Hyacinthe Rigaud's most famous work, Louis XIV, from the Palace of Versailles; Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette from the Musee d'Orsay; and Pablo Picasso's Metador from the Musee Picasso Paris.