In the leafy alleys of Shanghai's former French concession, the melody of a classic Chinese pop song drifts through the morning air, but the lyrics are unmistakably French.
The voice belongs to Alice Roche, a French music and culture blogger who has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. Over the past few years, Roche has devoted herself to weaving together Eastern and Western cultures in the city she now calls her second home.
The art of translation
While many expatriates enjoy Chinese music, the 31-year-old Parisian has turned her passion into a cultural bridge. Her professional life revolves around a delicate task: translating the seemingly untranslatable nuances of Chinese lyrics into the tradition of French chanson.
"Sometimes Chinese is so profound that expressing it accurately in French is a challenge," she admits. "A short four-character Chinese phrase might require two or three sentences in French because the meaning is so rich." She cites a lyric from her recent French rendition of What the World has Given Me, a song performed by Chinese pop diva Faye Wong at the 2025 CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Someone sets off fireworks, someone chases the evening breeze.
"I couldn't translate it literally; it would lose its poetry," Roche explains. "I had to think about the underlying meaning while keeping a rhythm. It suggests some people desire a colorful, passionate life, while others prefer a peaceful, quiet one. After several versions, I finally settled on 'Ils revent d'etincelles, certains preferent la brise' (Some dream of sparks, others prefer the breeze), which felt closer to the original sentiment."
A single song can take days, sometimes weeks, to translate. Yet, it serves a deeper purpose. "It is also a journey toward understanding Chinese culture more deeply," she says. "To accurately express the meaning of a song in my mother tongue, I need to truly comprehend what it's actually saying. It's a magical cultural exchange."
Through this work, Roche has noticed subtle differences in how emotion is expressed in Chinese and French music. "Chinese rarely say love out loud, yet their songs overflow with emotion."
"Romance in Chinese culture often avoids saying 'I love you' outright. Instead, it creates a feeling of reassurance and comfort. French romance tends to be more direct, while the Chinese way is quieter, but deeply felt."
Finding a shared soul
While the metropolis is often portrayed as a fast-paced financial powerhouse, Roche has discovered another side to it — one that reminds her of home.
"People often describe Shanghai's pace as very fast, but I often find it quite leisurely," she notes. "It depends on which neighborhood you're in and your lifestyle."
"Paris evokes this same dual feeling. There are bustling commercial districts alongside quiet residential areas. Cities with deep cultural and artistic roots often encourage a more reflective pace of life. Both places are economic powerhouses, but they also have soul," she explains.
Roche resides in the Hengshan Road-Fuxing Road historical blocks, a historically rich district characterized by its blend of Chinese and French architecture, plane trees, and winding alleys.
"The mornings here are beautiful, with sunlight filtering through the trees," Roche says. "People appear relaxed, particularly the elderly residents. My neighbors and I greet each other warmly. They also seem to enjoy having a foreign neighbor in their lane."
Born in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, adjacent to the city's Chinatown, Roche feels her affinity for China was a matter of yuanfen, or destiny.
She began studying Chinese in high school, captivated by the visual elegance of the script. "I loved drawing. Chinese characters felt magical to me. I wondered how a language could use 'drawings' to express meaning?" she recalls.
At 16, Roche joined a school trip to China, visiting Beijing, Xi'an and the city she now calls home. It was her first journey from Europe to Asia, and the cultural differences were immediate — beginning at the dinner table.
"I remember being served soup and suddenly noticing a whole chicken head in the pot," she laughs. "In France, we would never present meat that way."
"Having lived in China for a decade now, I fully appreciate that simmering a whole bird for 24 hours creates a far more aromatic broth. What initially seemed strange during that teenage visit has gradually revealed its profound rationale."
A Shanghai stomach
Over the years, the feeling of being an outsider has faded. "I've developed what you could call a Chinese stomach, or rather, a Shanghai stomach," she jokes.
Her connection to the city deepened further when she met her Chinese fiance. "It happened naturally," she says. "Finding love here truly feels like destiny."
Their family also includes a rescued Chinese cat — another unexpected encounter. Roche discovered the kitten as a three-week-old stray and, after failing to find someone willing to adopt her, realized the tiny animal was meant to stay.
"It felt like fate. This little angel was meant to be with me. We've been together for over five years now," she says.
Today, Roche balances attending events, performing with her band, and filming videos with quiet time in her Shanghai office. But it is on the balcony of her apartment, tending to a small garden of lettuce, thyme and kale, that she feels most grounded.
"To me, home should be a feeling," Roche reflects. "It is the environment you create for yourself. It should provide comfort, tranquility, and security. You feel peaceful, inspired, and surrounded by memories. I've created so many memories in Shanghai. Everything I have here contributes to that sense of belonging."
