Tourists enjoy themselves at the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Photo: VCG

China and France mutually respect, understand and appreciate each other with cultural exchanges playing an irreplaceable role in this relationship, and 2024 is poised to be a landmark year in the history of China-France cultural exchanges, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye told the Global Times in an exclusive interview as the two countries unveil a series of cultural exchange activities. 

The foundation of international relations lies in the affinity between peoples, and such affinity is rooted in heartfelt connections, Lu said, noting that cultural exchanges between the two countries play a unique role in enhancing mutual understanding. 

In November 2023, the 6th meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges was held in Beijing when the foreign ministers of both countries witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in fields such as education and scientific research, cultural tourism and health, with the release of a list of high-quality cultural exchange activities between the two countries in 2024.

"We are delighted to see the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris and the ­Temple of Heaven ice sculptures ­jointly featured at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. The dazzling beauty of the French Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, and the ­upcoming Jingdezhen Ceramics Culture Exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, are jointly sparking a 'China craze' in France," Lu said. 

Additionally, numerous people-to-people friendship associations have sprung into action. Local cooperation has rapidly warmed up, and the estrangement, doubts and barriers that accumulated during the pandemic have dissipated in the warmth of face-to-face interactions, the ambassador noted. 

At the distinguished Harbin Ice and Snow World, French Tourism Minister Olivia Grégoire officially declared the commencement of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism on January 5. 

The decision to inaugurate the year of cultural and tourism exchange in the stunning city of Harbin, amid its renowned ice festival, wasn't ­coincidental. It's a major cultural and tourism event in which we are honored to participate, Grégoire remarked. 

French media outlets such as ­Franceinfo reported that in 2024, visitors will flock to the Harbin's ice and snow festival's new attraction: The large reproduction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris - at 22 meters high, created by 170 sculptors who worked on the sculpture for two weeks. The message is clear, as the French media said, as the land of the Eifel Tower also aims to attract as many Chinese tourists as possible to France in 2024, promoting France as a destination, hoping that the number of Chinese visitors to the country will soon rebound to the pre-COVID levels. 

Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye Photo: VCG

Diamond jubilee celebration

The year 2024 also marks the "diamond jubilee" of the establishment of China-France relations. Standing at this new historical juncture, China is keen to continue its longstanding traditions with France and looks toward to the future, Lu said. 

"Seizing the opportunity presented by the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, China aims to enhance high-level interactions and deepen pragmatic cooperation across various fields, injecting richer ­contemporary significance into China-France ­relations," said the ambassador. 

High-quality activities

The Chinese Embassy in France has released a list of high-quality cultural activities between the two countries in 2024 including eight activities to be held in France and a similar number to be held in China. 

The opening concert of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, for example, is scheduled to be held on January 31 at the Royal Opera House, Versailles Palace in Paris. Also in Paris, the Chinese Cultural Center plans to hold the "Silk Road Porcelain Tour" - a Chinese ceramics culture exhibition from January to February 2024, displaying ceramics, porcelain-making techniques, cultural and creative products, and host porcelain music performances and documentary screenings.

The "Chinese Lantern Festival," which kicked off in December 2023, is also scheduled to be held in Paris, Amneville and Montauban, France until April 2024, to showcase the exquisite level and cultural connotation of China's intangible cultural heritage of lantern craftsmanship.

From January 26 to 28, a stage play of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is set to premiere at the Beijing Poly Theatre, performed in Putonghua, under the direction of French director Jean Bellorini, according to media reports. 

These exciting activities will push China-French cultural exchanges to a new level and play a positive role in the exchange of the wisdom of civilizations between China, Europe and the world, Lu was quoted as saying in ­another interview with Chinese magazine the Global People.

Also, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be unique. What is worth looking forward to is that the Chinese Olympic Committee will set up a "China House" during the event to host sports achievement displays, Chinese sports culture displays, and foster interactions between athletes in Chinese and French sports circles, among other activities to add more excitement to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, the ambassador said. 

With China implementing a short-term visa exemption policy for French visitors and France introducing measures to facilitate visas for Chinese citizens, travel exchanges between China and France will become smoother, Lu told the Global Times. 

In December 2023, China rolled out a one-year visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from six countries - France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia - starting from December 1, 2023.

As of January 9, there were a total of 147,000 visa-free entries from these countries, showing an overall upward trend in inbound travel, according to the National Immigration Administration of China. 

The year "2024 will surely be a landmark year in the history of China-France cultural exchanges," Lu told the Global Times.