Presentation of Emile Guimet’s scientific mission to Asia at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in the Palais du Trocadéro in Paris.

In 1877, Emile Guimet, a wealthy industrialist with a passion for religious rites and beliefs, set off on a study tour of Asia. He visited China, Japan, Indochina, Ceylon and India. The collections he gathered along the way were presented to the visitors of the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris. You can still admire them today in the Musée national des Arts asiatiques, more commonly known as the Musée Guimet.