the end of the 19th century witnessed an unprecedented but not unambiguous cultural interaction between China and France. There were considerable Chinese art collections, including the Guimet museum. Today, many experts on the acquisition of works of art at that time are structured within post-colonialist theory, where the imperialist context forms the framework for the western interpretation of the East. Here the author analyses the possibility of Western superiority in the presentation of Chinese objects in the rooms of the Guimet Museum. Examination of the catalogues published at that time and of Emile Guimet’s written material informs the study of the factors which contributed to this presentation, such as geographical location, architecture, division of spaces, classification of objects, succession of rooms or interior decoration. It can be seen how Guimet transformed the exotic approach to Chinese art into a scientific presentation focusing on the richness of Chinese culture, and how French superiority in creating knowledge on the East was counterbalanced by highlighting past and contemporary exchanges between China and France.