The opening ceremony of the Franco-Chinese Month of the Environment in Central China and the launch ceremony of the "Biodiversity—Franco-Chinese Month of the Environment Joint Special Exhibition" were held at the Hunan Museum of Geology on September 27, 2025. The exhibition offers citizens an exploratory journey that brings them closer to ecology and nature, featuring abundant archival materials and animal specimens complemented by interactive light and shadow installations as well as miniature dioramas.
The exhibition centers on the theme of "biodiversity," divided into three major sections: Global Perspective, Chinese Stories, and Hunan's Characteristics.
The first section begins with the "Essential Characteristics of Biodiversity," systematically interpreting core concepts such as "vibrant life," "unparalleled uniqueness," and "interdependence." This section also confronts ecological crises like the "sixth mass extinction" and the "ocean red alert," guiding visitors to reflect on humanity's role within the global ecosystem.
The second section leverages China's geographical advantages and resource endowments to showcase the country's diverse ecosystems from forests to wetlands. The section highlights the unique value of "living fossils" like giant pandas as well as various higher plants, while objectively analyzing challenges facing China's biodiversity, including overexploitation of natural resources and a decline in genetic diversity.
The third section focuses on Hunan's types and distribution of wildlife resources. By showcasing the current habitats of representative species like the milu deer, Chinese merganser, fir trees, and silver fir trees, the section vividly presents Hunan's pragmatic practices and tangible achievements in biodiversity conservation.
This exhibition deeply integrates the concepts of "cultural exchanges between China and France" and "Chinese-style expression." Adopting a "double-entry Chinese courtyard" as its overall framework, the exhibition selects "resilient and reserved Hunan mottled bamboo" and "elegant and graceful French irises" as core visual symbols. These elements are not only incorporated as decorative motifs throughout the exhibition space but also create an exquisite resonance within the central micro-landscape display area. The upright stems of mottled bamboo interplay with the gracefully unfurled petals of irises. Amidst this arrangement, animal specimens of red-billed leiothrix, red-crowned cranes, crested ibis, and cinereous vulture are artfully displayed. This immersive setting invites visitors to experience a dual impact of "cultural symbols + ecological artifacts."
The exhibition is guided by the Hunan Provincial Department of Natural Resources and jointly organized by the Hunan Museum of Geology, the Consulate General of France in Wuhan, the Institut français, the Natural History Museum of China, the Geological Museum of China, and the Hunan Agricultural University, with special support from the Natural History Museum in Paris, France (France Muséum national d'histoire naturelle). Located on the first floor of the South Building of the Hunan Museum of Geology, the exhibition will open to the public free of charge until December 2025.
This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.
Translator: Xiao Juan
Chinese source: hunantoday
