"Only a 'bosom friend' can understand this song" (the style of a great diplomatic power of the head of state)

Reporter Zou Yating and Gong Wenjing

In Beijing in April, the flowers and grass are green, and the spring is harmonious. In front of the Wenhua Hall of the Forbidden City, begonias bloom and reflect the red wall.

The exhibition "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: Sino-French Exchanges in the 17th and 18th Centuries" is being held here, bringing together about 200 cultural relics from the Palace Museum, the Palace of Versailles and other institutions. The Manchu edition of the Geometric Originals, the Book of Western Medicine, the bronze gilded shell and the pocket watch of the portrait of the Kaiguang figure, and the collection of correspondence of the French astronomer de Meurand...... It fully shows the moving story of Sino-French exchanges hundreds of years ago. The French curator of the exhibition lamented: "At that time, no other country had such a special relationship with China. ”

In April 2023, President Xi Jinping and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron jointly announced the full resumption of people-to-people exchanges between China and France, and jointly held the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism in 2024 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The exhibition "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles" is one of the most important projects.

The exhibition surprised the French side

"Around this exhibition, the cultural and museum workers of China and France have had an unprecedentedly close exchange. Guo Fuxiang, research curator of the Palace Museum and Chinese curator of the "Forbidden City and Versailles" exhibition, said, "Through the most representative cultural relics, the latest research results, and vivid display forms, the history of Sino-French exchanges can be seen, felt, and known." ”

In the exhibition, the French curators were pleasantly surprised by a pair of porcelain vases painted on pink ground and painted with gold and flowers in the collection of the Palace Museum. This is a fine piece of porcelain produced in the mid-18th century by the French porcelain factory of Sèvres and sent to China as a gift. "In the past, the French had only seen the relevant records in the literature, but not the real thing. They were delighted to see the pair of vases, saying that the French had given China the best porcelain they had produced. Guo Fuxiang told reporters.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France 10 years ago, the cultural and museum institutions of the two countries have carried out close cooperation: the Musée National de la Guimet Asian Art in France launched the "Han Style: Chinese Han Dynasty Cultural Relics Exhibition", which exhibited more than 450 exquisite cultural relics from 27 museums in China; Picasso's 10 painting treasures from five major museums are a feast for the eyes of Chinese audiences.

President Xi Jinping, who wrote the preface to the special exhibition, said that China and France have a long history of cultural exchanges, and the unique and charming cultures created by the two peoples in the course of historical development have always attracted each other. For a long time, the Chinese civilization and the French civilization have continuously borrowed from each other, adding a splendid color to the friendship between China and France.

A precious gift

On March 24, 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife made a special trip from Paris to Villa Haiyan in Nice to warmly welcome President Xi Jinping and his wife. After shaking hands and greeting him cordially, Macron gave President Xi Jinping a special gift, with a cowhide cover, floating mouth bronzing, dyed paper ring lining, and red book opening...... This is the first French edition of the Analects published in France in 1688. President Xi Jinping gently took the book and looked at it carefully: "This is a precious gift, and we will cherish it." ”

The exhibition "The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles" features a special panel to introduce the story behind the book. "It is an important evidence of Sino-French cultural exchanges. China's excellent traditional culture provided ideological nourishment for French thinkers such as Voltaire and Montesquieu in the European Enlightenment. Guo Fuxiang said that there are also many ancient French books in the exhibition that spread Chinese culture. In 2014, the Analects was also named the first of the "10 most influential Chinese books in France".

"The French intelligentsia attaches great importance to Chinese literature and philosophy. Ding Jian, who studied philosophy at the University of Paris VIII in France for eight years, was deeply touched by this. He said that many French universities have specially opened related courses such as "Tao Te Ching" and "I Ching".

At the end of 2023, Ding Jian, who returned to China to teach after graduation, participated in the 5th Sino-French Cultural Forum held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, where representatives from the political, business, academic, educational, cultural and artistic circles of China and France gathered together to talk about the traditional culture of China and France, and to conduct in-depth exchanges and promote practical cooperation in the fields of museums, culture and art, culture and creativity. Ding Jian was impressed by the fact that there were many young people from China and France who came to the forum to serve as volunteers. "They talked about music, movies, and cultural relics on the forum, and they became good friends by enhancing mutual understanding and trust. Ding Jian said.

A "trickle" merges into the sea

The friendship between countries lies in the people-to-people relationship. During his talks with President Emmanuel Macron, President Xi Jinping stressed that in terms of people-to-people exchanges, China and France should not only smooth the "main channel" of intergovernmental cooperation, but also enrich the "trickle" of people-to-people exchanges.

In recent years, China has become one of the main sources of international students in France, with nearly 1,000 primary and secondary schools in France offering Chinese courses, and more than 100,000 students learning Chinese. The "trickle" of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries is constantly converging.

French ceramic artist Kaimi is one of them. After graduating from the Royal College of Art, Kaimi opened his own studio in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, where he stayed for 9 years. From the language barrier to being fluent in Chinese, in the eyes of local residents, she has long been an out-and-out "New Jingdezhen native".

"I feel the warmth and kindness of the Chinese here. The neighbors take care of each other, and they give me handmade rice dumplings and dumplings during the holidays. "In Chinese and French culture, there is a saying that is exactly the same: 'To grasp a person's heart, you must first grasp his stomach.'" One of the important reasons why I fell in love with Jingdezhen and China is that Chinese food is so rich that it grabbed my stomach. ”

Kaimi often makes tea, incense in the studio, reads "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Water Margin", she also likes to read Li Bai's poems, and has read "Tao Te Ching", "I Ching" and "Analects". Kaimi said that many of her French friends are also deeply interested in Chinese culture.

Today, a "trickle" is converging into a vast ocean. Over the past 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and France have achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields: bilateral trade volume has increased by more than 800 times, France has become China's third largest trading partner and third largest source of actual investment in the EU, China has become France's largest trading partner in Asia and seventh largest in the world, the number of sister provinces, autonomous regions and cities and the number of tourists are among the highest among China and Europe, and both are permanent members of the UN Security Council and responsible major countries, strengthening cooperation to jointly address global challenges......

On April 7, 2023, President Xi Jinping and President Emmanuel Macron walked in the Pine Garden in Guangzhou without a tie and enjoyed the guqin performance of "Mountains and Flowing Water".

President Xi Jinping introduced to Macron, "This is a very beautiful story in ancient China, about Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi, reflecting the 'bosom friend', and only the 'bosom friend' can understand this song." ”