On 3 February, the CGTN French channel reported that on 31 January, the "Auspicious Dragon" lantern installation, the mascot of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China's 2024 "Happy Chinese New Year" campaign, was lit at the Festival Dragons et Lanternes, kicking off the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.

The following content is excerpted from a report by CGTN.

Lu Shaye, Chinese Ambassador to France, Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun International, Eric Alauzet, President of France-China Friendship Group of French National Assembly, Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of Jardin d'Acclimatation and General Secretary of LVMH, and others pressed the "Auspicious Dragon" light switch of the Year of the Dragon-themed lantern of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, lighting up the Festival Dragons et Lanternes.

The Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Shanghai is one of the longest-standing, most well-known and most popular Spring Festival lantern viewing events in China. It is listed as China's national intangible cultural heritage and is widely known in Shanghai. Every year, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Shanghai draws millions of lantern viewers.

This year, the 2024 Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival of the Year of the Dragon makes its overseas debut, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and France is the first destination of its overseas exploration. Xu Xiaoliang, Co-CEO of Fosun International said in an interview that after 29 editions of Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Shanghai, it brought more than 2,000 lanterns to Paris this year, showcasing the vitality and charm of oriental lifestyle aesthetics.

"Hamburg in Germany, London in the UK and Lisbon in Portugal have sent us formal invitations to hold the next lantern festival there. I believe that through such events and cultural exchanges, we can promote a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the international community,” Xu Xiaoliang said.

In an interview with CGTN, Xu Xiaoliang says that he hopes that through the Festival Dragons et Lanternes, we can promote a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the international community.

Despite being thousands of miles apart, friendship transcends physical distance. The theme of the Festival Dragons et Lanternes is "Spirit of the Mountains and Seas", which is homophonic to “Friends Across Mountains and Seas" in Chinese, implying that even though China and France are geographically separated by mountains and seas, they are still close as friends. As the opening event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, and one of the highlighted events for the bilateral cooperation between China and France in 2024, the Festival Dragons et Lanternes is the best witness to the friendship between the two countries.

Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of Jardin d'Acclimatation and General Secretary of LVMH, said, “I hope that France and China will always maintain a good common stance in politics, culture and other fields. Culture is the link that connects us. The charm of the Festival Dragons et Lanternes lies in the fact every French person and every Parisian can visit the park by taking the metro instead of flying, to appreciate the beauty of China and fall in love with China."

France has always been an important region for Fosun’s overseas expansion. After entering the French market for 14 years, Fosun has become one of the largest Chinese private companies investing in France. Fosun has more than 10,000 employees in France and its ecosystem member companies include Club Med, Lanvin, Tridem Pharma, PAREF, Djula, St Hubert, Cenexi, etc.

During the 2019 China International Import Expo held in Shanghai, French President Emmanuel Macron, paid a state visit to China. On 5 November 2019, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan met with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Shanghai, and took a photo together at the iconic Nine-turn Bridge and Huxin Pavilion in Yuyuan Tourist Mart. That night, "Yuyuan Garden" was ablaze with lanterns, writing a chapter of friendship between China and France.

After more than four years, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival "sailed" to France, and the Nine-turn Bridge and the Huxin Pavilion were also "transported" to Paris in the form of artistic expressions of intangible cultural heritage lanterns, once again using brilliant and colorful lanterns as pen and ink to continue to write the chapter of friendship between China and France.

In addition, on 4 February, the CCTV International channel reported that the “Auspicious Dragon” lantern installation was lighted up at the Festival Dragons et Lanternes on 31 January, bearing witness to the friendship between China and France. With over 350 performances, the Festival Dragons et Lanternes is set to captivate the French audience.