"She is a very demanding, determined woman."
On May 7, local time, at the special invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, President Xi Jinping left Paris by special plane to visit the Hautes-Pyrenees province in southwestern France.
On May 7, local time, Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan were warmly greeted by Macron and his wife Brigitte at Tarbes Airport. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren
The Hautes-Pyrenees shares a border with Spain. Compared to the bustling city of Paris, it is covered in mountains and is peaceful and calm. In a small village in the Hautes-Pyrenees, Xi Jinping held a small meeting with the heads of state of China and France.
Why did you choose to meet here? - According to the French media, "because Macron has a deep attachment to this land".
For Macron, the Hautes-Pyrenees has special significance. This is the birthplace of his grandmother, Germaine Noggs, and the place where he is filled with childhood memories.
Macron has had a close relationship with his grandmother since childhood. He once said that it was his grandmother who shaped him today. The French press described Germain as follows: "She is the compass of the French president." ”
01
"Bottom Attacker"
According to Macron's own description, his grandmother went from a girl from humble backgrounds, to an excellent teacher, and finally to the principal of the school, a successful "bottom counterattacker".
Germain was born on October 5, 1916 in the city of Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées. She grew up in a poor family, with her mother working in the domestic service industry and her father a railroad worker. Both parents were illiterate and could not speak French well, but Germain excelled.
One day in his second year of junior high school, Jermain came home with a report card with the words "All Honors" written on it.
In high school, Germain met a philosophy teacher who appreciated her. With the encouragement of her teacher, she continued to study the literature she loved. After graduating, Germain got a job as a teacher in the small city of Never, in central France, teaching geography.
There is a spirit of not admitting defeat in Jermain. With this momentum, she became the principal step by step, and she has been in this position for 23 years.
Germain has dedicated his life to education. She persuaded female students who had dropped out of school to go back to school, telling them that it was "the path to freedom." The road, she says, is not bumpy, but romantic — after class, everyone sits around and sippers Chopin's piano music over hot chocolate, or perusing the writings of Giolodou (a French writer).
Like Germain, most of these female students came from artisans or peasant families. Germain takes them back to the path they have traveled, opening the door to infinite possibilities.
Germain later married Jean Nogues, and the two had three children together, one of whom was Macron's mother, Françoise.
Macron's parents
Françoise was a medical doctor who later married Mitchell, a professor of neurology, and Macron was their eldest son. In order to work with peace of mind, Françoise sent Macron to his mother to help take care of her.
With his grandmother, although Macron couldn't see his parents, he felt that his life was very fulfilling.
02
"Working under her gaze"
Germain's education of Macron also has a romantic tinge. She opened the door to reading and literature for Macron.
"Ever since I was 5 years old, my grandmother would spend hours every day after picking me up from school and teaching me French, history, geography, reading, etc." Macron later recalled in his autobiography "Transformation", "As a child, I read aloud the works of Molière, Racine, Mauriac and Gionau (all French playwrights or writers) all day long. ”
The grandfather and grandson became close friends. Together, they discussed literature and drama and talked about their favorite writers.
But Germain never overdoted on this beloved little grandson. In his biography of Macron, a French writer wrote, "She is a very demanding and determined woman". She kept an eye on Macron's studies. "Every time there is a school exam, my grandmother will nervously wait for me to come home, even if it is just an insignificant quiz." Macron once recalled.
At a very young age, Macron used his grandmother as a role model for himself. Macron once said that it was his grandmother who made him "believe in his political destiny".
In 1992, at the age of 16, Macron met Brigitte, who was 24 years his senior. At the time, Brigitte was a literature teacher at Providence High School in Amiens, her husband was a banker, and the two had three children.
Macron and Brigitte
Later, the two fell in love, and Macron's family and friends expressed it "unacceptable". Germain, who was the only one who supported Macron at the time, also invited Brigitte to her home to receive the couple's "first official date". Macron later told reporters: "The last generation was against this relationship, and only she left a place for Brigitte. This is the most beautiful proof of unconditional love. ”
After Macron entered the political arena, he insisted on talking to his grandmother on the phone every night. "I feel like I've been working under her watchful eye and I'm always wondering how she thinks of every decision I make," Macron said. ”
In 2013, Germain passed away at the age of 96. At that time, Macron was also the deputy secretary general of the Élysée Palace. At an important meeting, Macron abruptly left his seat. He went to his grandmother's bedside and saw her for the last time.
In 2017, Macron became president of France. According to French media statistics, during Macron's first term, the Hautes-Pyrenees was one of the regions he visited the most.
In 2022, Macron announced his candidacy for re-election. "Personally, if I am re-elected, the first thing I will do is go to the Alta Pyrenees to present a bouquet of flowers to my grandmother," he said in a televised speech. ”
In his autobiography "Change", Macron remembers his grandmother: "Now that she has passed away, there is not a day that I do not miss her, and there is not a day that I do not look for her, because I want my future work to be worthy of what she taught me...... Her voice and smile, the stories she told me, and her freedom and rigor still influence me to this day. ”
03
A "small" restaurant
Macron was born in the city of Amiens in northern France. The Hautes-Pyrenees is Macron's "second home". When he was younger, he took a train with his grandparents every year to a small valley in the Hautes-Pyrenees and stayed for a week in winter and a month in summer.
In the Hautes-Pyrenees, Macron has many old friends.
Eric Abadi, 61, said he had known President Macron "when he was a child." More than 30 years ago, Macron's grandfather took him to the restaurant owned by Abadi's family for dinner, and the two children, who were about the same age, quickly became good friends.
Today, Abadi runs a restaurant called "Shepherd's Station", and his friendship with Macron continues to this day. Abadi recalled: "When Macron was Minister of Economy, he slept all night on the sofa in my house. ”
Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, together with Macron and his wife Brigitte, enjoyed the performance of local villagers. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yao Dawei
This time, it was in Abadi's restaurant that Macron received VIPs from China. Outside the restaurant's wooden house, the two leaders each held an umbrella for their wives and watched the shepherd's dance performed by the local villagers. The French Broadcasting International commented that "Macron is trying to establish a sincere dialogue, which is the most subtle way he can think of".
Source: WeChat public account "Global People"
Author: Mao Yufei Lu Tianshu
Editor: Jing Chen
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