东方印象 丹宸永固
　　1583年，来自意大利的天主教传教士利玛窦就曾在信中向欧洲人描述紫禁城的建筑特征。此后的数百年间，这座神秘的宫殿以不同形式、不同载体，出现在世界各地的人们面前。
　　今日，重扉轻启，故宫的大门早已向世界敞开。清澈的天穹下，绵延的朱墙黄瓦、瑞兽祥纹勾勒出古老中华文明的轮廓，朝露繁星、或晴或雪，这气象万千的景观，被各国驻华使节的镜头一一记下。
　　本单元展出的摄影作品以磅礴壮丽、古朴深沉的宫殿建筑群为主，用光影诉说着驻华使节们与故宫相遇时的最初印象。

Oriental Impressions, Everlasting Splendor
In 1583, the Italian Catholic missionary Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) described the architectural features of the Forbidden City to Europeans in his letters. Over the following centuries, the mysterious palace has appeared to people all over the world in different forms and narratives.
Today, the mighty doors of the Palace Museum are open wide to the world. Under the clear sky, the red walls, yellow tiles, and auspicious animals outline China’s ancient civilization in panoramas with the morning dew, under the starry sky, covered in snow, or in the bright sun. Each of these magnificent scenes have been recorded by diplomat-photographers.
The photographs here show the magnificence and profundity of the ancient palace buildings and reflect the first impressions of diplomats upon encountering the Palace Museum.

　　独具慧眼 咫尺匠心
　　随着旅程的不断深入，或是反复前来游览，驻华使节们不断靠近故宫的建筑和藏品。他们以更具个性的视角，去探寻、去品味故宫细微之处的巧思和美感。重檐宝顶、白玉丹墀、仙人瑞兽，在驻华使节们的镜头中演绎着别样的故事。
　　本单元展出驻华使节聚焦于建筑和文物细节的摄影作品，展现他们眼中潜藏在故宫宏大场景中的精巧之美、细节之趣。

Unique Insights, Exquisite Details
As the tour progresses, or as they come again and again, diplomats get closer to the architecture and artifacts of the Palace Museum. They explore and savor the subtleties and beauty of the Palace Museum from a more personal perspective. Double-eave roofs with spires, marble rails and lacquer stairs, immortals and auspicious beasts tell different stories in their photographs.
This chapter presents photographs focusing on the details of architecture and artifacts, which show, through the eyes of the diplomats, the exquisite beauty hidden in the grand scale of the Palace Museum. 

　　和而不同 美美与共
　　年复一年，世界各地的人们络绎不绝前来故宫，起先是透过好奇的目光探究东方传统文化，随着深度感知中华文明后生出强烈共鸣，最终在文化碰撞中激发出创作灵感。被故宫魅力吸引而来的观众，自己亦是今日故宫独特的构成和风景，他们无声地阐释着“和而不同，美美与共”的文化信仰。
　　本单元中，驻华使节镜头里的故宫因向公众开放而生机盎然，中华文明因承载了各国人民的情感、思想而更加充满活力。

Harmony in Diversity, Shared Beauty
Year after year, people from all over the world come to the Palace Museum, starting with exploring the traditional culture of the East through curious eyes, finding that Chinese civilization strikes a chord after experiencing it in depth, then, being creatively inspired by the collision of different cultures. Visitors attracted by the museum’s charm are themselves part of the unique composition and landscape of the palace today. Their presence expresses, without using words, the deep-seated cultural belief ‘harmony in diversity, shared beauty’.
In this chapter, in the photographs taken by diplomats, the Palace Museum is alive because it is open to the public, and Chinese civilization is made still more vibrant because it carries the emotions and thoughts of people from all countries.