To coincide with the events of the "Year of France" in China in 2005, approximately 40 works of art have been selected from the museum's collection of Historical Pictures to illustrate the cultural exchanges between France and China over the last three centuries.

In the 18th century, as a result of the new impetus in art and technology introduced by European missionaries working at the imperial court, Emperor Qianlong chose the medium of copper engraving to record his military conquests. The first works in what became an epic series are exhibited in the gallery, and this set of 16 engravings showing the emperor's victories in Xinjiang is a unique example of artistic confluence: the pictures were designed by Western painters in Beijing, while the copperplates were engraved and the printing executed in France.

The 19th century saw an expansion in trade and in scientific exploration. French artists who travelled on their own or worked as official artists for expeditions recorded their impressions of Guangzhou, Macau and Hong Kong in oil paintings, watercolours and prints. Examples of Chinese export goods including silverware, lacquerware and carvings in ivory and tortoise shell are also displayed to illustrate items that were popular on the French market.