French Ambassador on Sino-French cultural relations

Versailles celebrates Sino-French friendship

Exhibition displays individual portrayals of happiness

"I've read it and I've also seen the filming in Inner Mongolia, once in the winter and once again in the summer. I'm really fascinated by the ethnic cultures of China, especially Mongolian culture as I've been there several times, of course I also like other minority cultures in Yunnan, it's totally different but equally fascinating," Madame Bermann said.

Cultural exchanges between China and France have grown steadily over the past half century since the countries established diplomatic relations. And there’s no denying that cinema has acted as an important catalyst.

"I know that French films have a huge fan base here in China but I also notice that Chinese films have huge potential in France and in Europe. We've seen a growing number of Chinese entries in European film festivals, including Cannes. Recently, the Chinese thriller "Black Coal, Thin Ice" won at the Berlinale. It's really impressive," Madame Bermann said.

At a meeting with the visiting French President Franncois Holland last April, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more cooperation between the two countries in protecting cultural heritage.

Madame Bermann said this will also be a key focus in the future.

"China and France both have a rich culture. I remember that there was a UNESCO Convention signed in 1970 for prohibiting and preventing illicit trafficking of cultural property. It's important to preserve the cultural heritage of China and France, and our museums also have regular exchanges. Hopefully we'll see more in the future," Madame Bermann said.