A collection of French treasures, including the Consular Sword, will be part of a display of nearly 300 precious objects at the Palace Museum in Beijing from Tuesday. [Photo/China Daily]

The exhibits were chosen from 17 museums including the Louvre Museum, the Chateau de Fontainebleau and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.Approval had to be sought from the French government for artifacts like the Consular Sword to be sent abroad.

"The exhibition is about 250 years of creation. And this place (the Palace Museum) is about eternity, and everyone knows it," Mansvelt says while explaining why the top-tier pieces were brought to Beijing.

"There is a link. It's about a cultural exchange between France and China."

Meanwhile, the exhibition is also displaying 20 items from the imperial families of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), which is housed by the Palace Museum.