Culture in the saddle

A different ride

One French object caught Sun's attention during his visit to Chateau de Chantilly: a sidesaddle used by women riders.

Unlike a conventional saddle, it allowed a woman to ride with both legs positioned to one side.

"We didn't just want people to see the artifact. We also wanted them to experience it," he says.

A sidesaddle setup at the exhibition will allow visitors to experience how aristocratic women in Europe once rode.

For Sun, that experience completes the story in a way that a display case cannot.

The curators have incorporated demonstrations of traditional saddlery and related craftsmanship, along with video, sound and interactive installations. Visitors can encounter horse racing, dressage and traditional riding practices, while hunting horns and Chinese music add another sensory layer.

Even children's games enter the conversation, as Mongolian chess and French pony chess bring the horse into the world of play.

From imperial hunting to saddlery, sport and children's games, the exhibition aims to show how the horse has moved through very different spheres of life in the two cultures.

Florent Aydalot, minister-counselor for cultural, educational and scientific affairs at the French embassy in China, sees the exhibition as an opportunity to work on both public and professional levels.

"In France, we often say that the horse is a good friend of humanity," he says.

Bringing French and Chinese works together in Beijing, he says, gives Chinese audiences an opportunity to discover French culture and art through objects that might otherwise be unfamiliar.

But he also stresses that the exhibition is "an opportunity for interaction between the two countries in related academic and professional fields".

Conservation and restoration specialists, scientists and other professionals can use such projects to exchange expertise and learn from one another, he adds.

For Anne Miller, general administrator of Chateau de Chantilly, the project represents the culmination of a relationship that took several years to establish.

"When I took responsibility for Chateau de Chantilly in March 2022, developing cooperation and exchanges with China became one of my priorities," she says.

"At that time, we were almost starting from zero."

The relationship developed through a series of contacts during the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2024. A visit by representatives of the Prince Kung's Palace Museum to Chantilly in September that year helped the two sides discover similarities between the institutions, Miller says.

The formal cooperation agreement was signed in November 2025, with the horse exhibition emerging as one of the first major projects.

For Miller, the partnership offers a chance to introduce audiences to cultural institutions they may not know.

"Almost everyone in France has heard of the Forbidden City, but they may not know the Prince Kung's Palace Museum," she says. "Perhaps more people in China have heard of Versailles, but they may not know Chateau de Chantilly."

The exhibition thus becomes a two-way introduction. It is also scheduled to travel to Tai Kwun, a heritage and arts complex in Hong Kong's Central district, from late December through January 2027.