"Meet Napoleon: The Disappeared Palaces" is one of the key cultural initiatives promoted by the French Ministry of Culture to celebrate the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations. French President Emmanuel Macron strongly endorsed this national treasure-level Napoleon exhibition. During the opening ceremony of the 17th "Festival Croisements" in 2023, President Macron specifically emphasized that 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, describing it as a crucial milestone. He noted that the collaboration between Mobilier National's "Napoleon: The Disappeared Palaces" exhibition and Meet You Museum, with showings in Beijing, Shanghai, and other locations.

The exhibition showcases 81 precious artifacts from three major palaces of the Napoleonic Empire - the Tuileries Palace, Saint-Cloud Palace, and Meudon Palace. These items include furniture, tapestries, carpets, decorative objects, and paintings, offering visitors an immersive experience of the French Empire's rise and fall while exploring Napoleon's legendary life.

The Napoleonic era is regarded as a golden age of European artistic and architectural innovation. Napoleon initiated an artistic style distinct from the previous neoclassicism, developing the opulent and visually striking "Empire style." This artistic movement, heavily influenced by Napoleon's personal taste, not only revitalized French decorative arts but also profoundly impacted contemporary European and American design.

The Tuileries Palace, Saint-Cloud Palace, and Meudon Palace, Napoleon's former residences, not only represented his "Empire style" but also witnessed the rise and fall of the First French Empire, embodying the glory and dreams of an era. Unfortunately, these three palaces were destroyed in a series of fires between 1870 and 1871. Fortunately, many important furniture pieces and decorative items were relocated before the disasters and preserved by the Imperial Furniture Administration, predecessor of today's Mobilier National, allowing visitors to explore a glimpse of that brilliant era.

Previously, as a special exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's death, the collection was displayed at the Galerie des Gobelins of Mobilier National in 2021-2022. Major French media outlets, including the Napoleon Foundation, Palace of Fontainebleau, L'Opinion, and LVMH's Connaissance des Arts, covered and highly praised the exhibition. The Beijing premiere opened on March 31, receiving widespread acclaim and attracting significant media attention from both China and France.