'This is the second part of our exhibitions in Hong Kong,' says Musee Guimet chief curator Jean-Paul Desroches. 'In 1997, we organised the exhibition From Beijing to Versailles: Artistic Relations between China and France, highlighting the east-west artistic exchanges from the Silk Road to the decorative arts of the Qing court under the influence of the Jesuits. This exhibition picks up from where that left off.'

The French royal families were the first to acquire Chinese art. Like his grandfather, Louis XIV, the regent Philippe d'Orleans (1674-1723) was a sinophile with a rich collection that included countless pieces of Chinese porcelain, many of which were made-to-order with his coat of arms.

The French East India Company ships later imported Chinese commodities to France and wealthy merchants on the Brittany coast followed the royal penchant for Chinese art and personalised crockery services of up to 400 pieces.

Many Chinese designs were adapted to European tastes and needs. Ornate gilded bronze decorations and stands were added to imported Chinese porcelain ware, or a lacquer panel was attached to a commode in the development of chinoiserie - a fanciful European interpretation of Chinese style.

A lover of Chinese art, 19th-century court painter Francois Boucher incorporated Chinese motifs in his works. His 1742 painting La Foire Chinoise (The Chinese Fair), shows an exotic fantasy of the buying and selling of Chinese porcelain in a bustling oriental market.

The China that inspired the vogue of chinoiserie was largely derived from the writings of Jesuit missionaries. Serving a succession of Chinese emperors, the Jesuits viewed their hosts in a flattering light. Many European philosophers in this Age of Enlightenment also looked to the Celestial Empire for moral instruction and wisdom.

'In this period, China was seen as a paradise ruled by a benevolent royal government,' says Desroches. 'It was regarded as a fantastic country.'

Voltaire, who was educated by the Jesuits, even advocated the Middle Kingdom as a model for Europe. His 1755 play, Chinese Orphan, was inspired by a story from the Yuan dynasty and depicts China as a nation of sages. A sketch of the production's fantastical costumes are also displayed at the exhibition.

Chinoserie waned between 1790 and 1830, when fashionable Europe preferred Turkish, Egyptian and Greek influences, but it was revived by bourgeoisie such as Edmond and Jules de Goncourt in the latter half of the 19th century.

The French taste for Chinese aesthetics had become more sophisticated by 1900. Ernest Grandidier, a high-ranking Second Empire official, collected nearly 6,000 pieces that included the most important collection of Chinese ceramics in France. Spurning export porcelains he instead acquired many fine works from the imperial kilns and amassed Song, Yuan and earlier dynasty pieces.

As the cult for China revived with the development of sinology in the early 20th century, painter Henri Matisse admired the Chinese masters and studied the lines and expression in their landscapes. 'Matisse was interested to grasp the inner spirit of Chinese tradition,' Desroches says.

The exhibition concludes with the five ancient bronze pieces that were shown at the Louvre in 1934. They trace the evolution of France's appreciation of Chinese creativity, from monogrammed wedding crockery to high art.

Desroches also observes that France's image of China has fluctuated through history. 'It is a passion, and just like a human relationship, it can go from positive to negative and back,' he says.

Paris 1730-1930: A Taste for China, HK Museum of Art, 10 Salisbury Rd, TST, until June 15. Daily, 10am-6pm (Sat until 8pm), closed Thu, HK$10, free on Wed. Inquiries: 2866 3699