Reaching artistic heights through collaboration

The reciprocal cultural years observed by France and China from 2003 to 2005 have set a good example for China's bilateral relations with foreign countries. Though they ended in September 2005, they initiated a process of long-term cross-cultural communication between the two countries.

And the annual Festival Croisements organized by the French Embassy and the French Culture Center in China is the highlight of that close communication.

From mid-April to mid-June this year, more than 100 programs ranging from music, theater, literature and painting, to sculpture and film ran in 14 Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan.

Many of the programs featured collaborations between artists from France and China, in fulfillment of the actual aim of the festival.

"It's great to have French and Chinese working side by side to create art," said Pierre-Jean de San Bartolome, deputy director of the French Culture Center in China, who was one of the French coordinators of the Year of France in China and the Year of China in France, and now directs the annual Festival Croisements.

"Instead of showcasing French arts and culture in China, we try to provide opportunities, for example, forums, workshops or master classes, for people to share, communicate and inspire each other," he said.

A young jazz band composed of violinists Didier Lockwood and Thomas Enhco, trumpeter David Enhco, bass guitarist Zacharie Abraham and percussionist Nicolas Charlier gave joint concerts with Chinese erhu player Ma Xianghua and saxophonist Jin Hao in Shanghai.

French conductor Michel Plasson took up the baton of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Opera House to conduct a performance of the opera Carmen, featuring Chinese baritone Liang Changyong as Escamillo and tenor Zhang Jianyi as Don Jose.

Also, choreographer Kader Belarbi from Opera de Paris trained dancers from the National Ballet of China to perform his work Entrelacs, while the ballerina Aurelie Dupont and principal dancer Herve Moreau from the Opera de Paris performed Giselle and Don Quixote with National Ballet of China prima ballerinas Zhu Yan, Zhang Jian and Wang Qimin.

Another collaborative event was the joint dance program presented by Beijing Modern Dance Company and France's Company Kelemenis at Beijing's Nine Theater.

Best of France in Beijing

In addition to cultural collaborations, Beijingers also experienced French culture and arts through photographs, sculptures and movies.

This year's festival kicked off at the Capital Museum on April 18 with the exhibition "Willy Ronis in Paris," which presented some 190 photos shot by the distinguished French photographer. The 97-year-old Ronis is considered the leading figure of the humanist school of photography for his works featuring the scenery and ordinary people of Paris. The exhibition contained five series arranged in chronological order, covering his works from the 1910s to the 60s, which enabled people to see the famous cultural relics and architecture of Paris.

Through summer and autumn, Capital Museum displayed some 130 precious pieces from the Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities of the Louvre, including famous treasures like the statue of Aphrodite, and the busts of Aristotle and Socrates.

In May, a French Film Festival ran simultaneously in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Nanjing. It showcased 11 newly released films in genres including comedy, romance, drama, thrillers, historical features and animation, along with 12 short films.

A French artistic delegation led by Jerome Seydoux and composed of a dozen world renowned directors, actors, distributors and producers, including the director Catherine Corsini and former Bond girl Carole Bouquet, visited Beijing and Shanghai to meet their Chinese counterparts and fans.

Well-received in all these Chinese cities, the Festival Croisement will continue next year with some hundred events lined up for these cities. Some major shows will be performed at the newly opened National Center for the Performing Arts.

"The events are not just for the cultural elite, but open to millions of ordinary Chinese people," said French ambassador to China Herve Ladsous.

"The number of expected participants may not seem very high when compared with the total population of China, but the people-to-people cultural exchange is sure to be significant in promoting understanding and strengthening bonds between the two sides," he added.

(China Daily 11/26/2007 page15)