Bridge Builders France: Food, trade, sport and music which connect two of the world’s greatest cultures

LONDON, UK, January 25, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “If I went to China… from the top of Everest, I would put out my arms to embrace the world”

So sing the children of The Polysons Choir, expressing a dream for future connections in minds of a new generation. The song is the anthem of the latest series of CGTN Europe’s Bridge Builders and reflects the deep and enduring relationship between France and the People’s Republic of China.

Although many of the singers in the group cannot read music, their dedication, discipline, and enthusiasm has led them to become internationally recognised as cultural representatives of the French nation. As such they are a perfect embodiment of the Bridge Builder spirit.

The Bridge Builders

“At some stage, you have to sit in the boots of your interlocutors, try to understand how he or she sees the situation, sees you. And once you've done that, you're nearer, in my view, to the real sense of a relationship.”

As a former Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Pascal Lamy knows a thing or two about negotiations. As the European Union’s Trade Commissioner, he recalls clearly negotiating with China over its entry to the WTO and believes the lessons he learned then can help relations between the two powers today.

Paris-born Lamy shared his insights with CGTN Europe as part of the latest series of Bridge Builders, which marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. The series - commissioned for cross platform publication on TV, website and social media - is comprised of portraits of living figures who have played a powerful role in that partnership, whether in the field of business, politics, culture or sport.

CGTN Europe’s Wang Qiwei also spoke to Chinese Breaking coach Mournir Biba who as a French star in the sport played a key role in getting it admitted to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Biba explains how he came by his nickname “supermarket” and how he hopes to fulfill his ambition and that of his new team “To be No.1; to stay No.1”.

Liang Zi is a fashion designer who combines French haute -couture with Chinese materials and traditions to develop cross-cultural creations. Tapping into ancient traditions is ideal for the modern world, Liang explains, because they work with nature to form a result which we would describe in today’s parlance as “organic.” She talked CGTN Europe’s Li Jianhua through how mud, moth larvae and a species of yam combine to make some of her high end products.

In Grenoble, Li met Eliott Tordo, a master of the two-stringed erhu. He says he was drawn to the Chinese instrument by its sound, knowing nothing of its origins but found himself becoming a cultural ambassador as his fame grew. Another musician is guzheng player Pengpeng, whose street performances won her a global profile.

“With a responsibility to spread Chinese culture and its music, I feel that I have a sense of mission,” Pengpeng told CGTN Europe.

The sixth Bridge Builder is Corentin Delcroix. A chef and food designer, Delcroix began offering novel products for business by combining Chinese and French techniques and ingredients. Today the “French chef with a Chinese stomach” also runs multilingual social media accounts which popularize fusion cooking.

Delcroix sees food as the key to opening up a deeper understanding of different cultures: "When people are interested in the other country's food, then they slowly learn more about the geography, about the people there, about the culture, about the language."

Previous series of Bridge Builders have covered the UK, Spain and figures linked to the Belt and Road Initiative. The project champions those who have brought China and Europe closer together through their skills, dedication and passion.

Further coverage of the multi-faceted relationship between France and China can be found on CGTN Europe’s broadcast shows The World Today and Global Business Europe as well as its TikTok and YouTube channels and at europe.cgtn.com.

YUBIN DU
CGTN EUROPE
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If I had the opportunity to go to China/ Si j'allais en Chine