CPAFFC Delegation Visits France

Invited by the Objat Municipal Government， a CPAFFC delegation headed by Lu Hongwei， Deputy Director-General of the Department of European and Asian Affairs， visited France from February 12 to 16. The delegation attended the opening ceremony of “Ardent Chinese Dream： Exhibition of Chinese Woodcut New Year Pictures”， and had working meetings on the 2015 and 2016 cooperation projects respectively with the Association of Cultural Encounter Centers （Association des Centres Culturels de Rencontre - ACCR）， the Secours Populaire Francais （SPF） and the National Committee of Local Government Cooperation （CNCD） under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Department.

Publicizing Traditional

Chinese Culture

The exhibition， co-sponsored by the CPAFFC and the Agency for the Development of International Relations and Cooperation in Culture and Economy （Agence pour le Développement des Relations Internationales et des Coopérations par la Culture et l’économie - ADRICCE） of France and organized by the Beijing Art Museum， opened in Objat， a city in the Department of Correze， on the evening of February 13.

The month-long event， with 73 sets （85 pieces） of typical Chinese woodblock New Year prints， was timed to coincide with the Chinese Spring Festival to familiarize French visitors with traditional Chinese culture.

During the opening ceremony， Lu Hongwei and Qi Jixiang， President of the Professional Committee of Repair and Restoration of Cultural Relics of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics， were interviewed by reporters from the French national TV channel FR3 and the Correze radio station TOTEM.

Lu said， “Cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and France are of great importance and to hold Chinese cultural events in small French cities is especially important to help French people to get in touch with and know about traditional Chinese culture. This will enhance friendship between our two peoples and further promote bilateral relations. The CPAFFC has always worked hard to bring more and better traditional Chinese art to the French people and to all parts of France.”

Qi Jixiang gave a detailed briefing about the history and implied meaning of the Chinese New Year pictures and the importance of protection and inheritance of the art form.

Objat Mayor Philippe Vidau， stressed the significance of the first ever exhibition of its type in the Mid-Pyrenees Region. The Objat City Library would hold a China Month during which about 100 books on China would be introduced to readers. He hoped that， in the future， more Chinese cultural activities would be held in the city.

Mme Colette Golfier， Vice President of the ADRICCE， said that traditional Chinese culture had distinctive features and unique charm and that the exhibitions and performances co-sponsored by her organization and the CPAFFC were much loved by both the French and Chinese people.

The success of this exhibition had once again proved that the people of our two countries had good feelings and respect for each other’s cultures， which was a good foundation for cultural exchange projects such as the exhibition on ancient Chinese architecture to be held in Limoges and the China tour of the exhibition of French porcelain in China in 2015.

The French visitors at the opening ceremony said the New Year pictures with lively forms， bright colors and rich contents not only vividly reflected the Chinese people’s aspirations for a better future， but also brought out the strong festive atmosphere of the Chinese lunar New Year and the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

Gerard Bonnet， President of the General Council of Correze， spoke highly of the event and invited the CPAFFC to organize more exhibitions in Tulle， capital of Correze.

That evening， the French TV Station， local radio stations and newspapers all gave coverage on the exhibition.

Meetings with French

Cooperative Partners

The delegation had three working meetings during its stay in Paris.

The ACCR， a subordinate of the French Ministry of Culture， has over 40 group members in France and other European countries. It aims to arouse people’s interest in ancient architecture and provide an exchange platform for artists of different countries to learn from each other by organizing a variety of modern art and cultural activities.

During the Fourth High-Level China-France Forum on Local Government Cooperation in France in November 2014， the CPAFFC signed a cooperation agreement with the ACCR and extended an invitation for an ACCR delegation to visit China in early December. With the help of the CPAFFC， the ACCR has established contacts and signed a letter of intent on cooperation with Wuxi Media Group.

The CPAFFC delegation and the ACCR discussed the possibility of organizing the Peking Opera Troupe of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts to undertake a performance tour in France in August 2016. The ACCR said it would contact all cultural centers of its network and make active efforts to have it realized.

The SPF， one of the largest non-profit national philanthropic organizations in France， is CPAFFC’s important cooperative partner in France. The two organizations have cooperated in carrying out a number of public welfare projects including providing emergency aid to Sichuan earthquake-hit areas， construction of Friendship Water Cellars and donation of school buses， and these projects have produced good social effect.

Youth exchanges are an important component part of the cooperation between the two organizations， and there have been six exchanges of delegation visits so far. The CPAFFC delegation proposed that the SPF organize a 50-member French youth delegation to visit China in early August 2015.

As the SPF has close contacts with French local governments at various levels， the delegation on behalf of the CPAFFC also extended an invitation to the SPF to organize a mayoral group to visit China this October.

As 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the founding of the SPF， all kinds of celebrations are being held across France. The SPF wished that the CPAFFC would attend its World Conference in Marseilles from November 20 to 23 to discuss together with aid organizations from other countries the topics of strengthening cooperation and promoting world peace and development. The SPF also expressed the hope that the CPAFFC would organize a youth delegation to participate in the global youth gathering in Paris on August 19.

During its stay in Paris， the delegation also had a meeting with Jean-Claude Levy， representative of the CNCD， and discussed with him the details of the Summing-up Meeting of the Fourth High-Level China-France Forum on Local Government Cooperation jointly sponsored by the CNCD and the delegation of the Alsace Region. They also discussed relevant matters about holding the Fifth High Level China-France Forum on Local Government Cooperation in Chengdu in May 2016.