Tourists visit the China-Vatican exhibit at the palace Museum called "Beauty Unites Us: Chinese Art from the Vatican Museum" on Wednesday in Beijing. Photo: Wang Qi/GT

A gilded bronze Avalokiteshvara dating back to the Early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) from the Vatican Museum is displayed at the China-Vatican exhibit called "Beauty Unites Us: Chinese Art from the Vatican Museum" on Wednesday in Beijing. Photo: Wang Qi/GT

An exhibit hosted by the Palace Museum and the Vatican Museum kicked off in the Forbidden City on Tuesday, which analysts believe symbolizes further progress in China-Vatican relations. 

Displaying the 78 sets of Chinese cultural relics stored in the Vatican Museum, the exhibit, "Beauty Unites Us: Chinese Art from the Vatican Museum," contains three sections for Catholic art, Buddhist art and secular art collections. Apart from the collections from the Vatican, the Palace Museum also provided 12 national treasures.

This is the first time Chinese artifacts from the Vatican Museum collection were brought back to their home country, which include gifts that bear witness to centuries of China-Vatican communication and artifacts which integrate Catholic and Chinese art. 

Many tourists told the Global Times that they believe the exhibit is amazing, though they have limited knowledge of the Vatican, highlighting the need for more such exchanges that improve mutual understanding.

"I know Lang Shining through the TV drama Empress in the Palace. Was he from the Vatican?" asked a tourist surnamed Zhu.

Giuseppe Castiglione, known as Lang Shining in China, is an Italian Catholic missionary who visited China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and became a royal painter. 

Experts hailed the exhibit as a perfect platform to deepen mutual understanding. 

"Chinese will be able to see that the Vatican treasured for centuries 'its Chinese legacy' and relationship. And these artists are Catholics and Chinese who lived in China for a long time. Therefore, people can see how Catholic elements have blended with Chinese ones," Francesco Sisci, a senior researcher at the Renmin University of China and a Vatican affairs expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

"It was 'Ping Pong Diplomacy' between China and the US, and this exhibit is about culture," Sisci said. 

Concerning the frequent interactions between the two sides, like the Vatican Pavilion at Beijing's ongoing International Horticultural Exhibition and the bishops' appointment agreement reached last year, some suspect the exhibit might contribute to even closer bilateral relations. 

Sisci said he prefers to see the interactions as a sign that the two countries are seeking common things from different aspects. 

The exhibit will be an occasion for China to show to the world through the Vatican museums its art and sensitivity, Sisci said.