On Monday, Le Monde published a long article signed by Roxana Azimi, with the theme: The pitfalls of cultural diplomacy between China and France. The article writes that for France, which has to take care of China’s sensitivities, Sino-French cultural cooperation is a cooperation that requires evasion and superb acrobatics.
According to an article in Le Monde, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism kicked off on Wednesday, January 31, at the Royal Opera House in the Palace of Versailles. The theme of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France is cultural tourism. Rachida Dati, the new French Minister of Culture, said that “culture plays a core role in our bilateral relations.” Chinese Culture Minister Sun Yeli has a clear goal: to revitalize the tourism industry, which has been slow to return to pre-COVID-19 levels. However, a French diplomat who did not want to be named said, “The reason why the theme of celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France is cultural tourism is because there is no other theme.”
The Le Monde article wrote that in order to attract foreigners, including French people, the Chinese authorities announced that foreigners who stay for no more than fifteen days will be exempted from visas. France has no intention of such reciprocity. However, in order to rekindle the Chinese people’s “desire for France”, France will host nearly 200 cultural events in 2024, including the Palace of Versailles exhibition at the Forbidden City in Beijing, as well as the Comédie Française, the Bordeaux Opera Ballet and the French Comedy in China. Performed in cities. The French National Furniture Administration will also cooperate with Hantang Group to organize two exhibitions in China. One exhibition is themed “Napoleon’s Lost Palace”, which will be displayed in Beijing and Shanghai respectively. The other exhibition is themed: “So beautiful!” French Decorative Arts and Furniture”.
Taking care of authoritarian regimes
However, cultural cooperation between China and France will also encounter obstacles and traps.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, Xi Jinping’s regime has become more assertive. Beijing introduced a tough national security law in Hong Kong in 2020 and stepped up military pressure on Taiwan, also vowing to bring the island under its own jurisdiction. In addition, the repression against the Uyghurs has not abated. Artificial intelligence now allows Chinese authorities to continuously monitor every citizen. As for censorship, it is very prevalent at all levels.
The challenge these pose for France is to look after an increasingly authoritarian regime in Beijing without appearing to be selling its soul. Emmanuel Macron proposed a doctrine: the art of avoidance during the inauguration of the Pompidou-West Bund Art Center in Shanghai in November 2019, when several works were removed from display.
The Guimet Museum in Paris plans to hold no less than four China-related exhibitions in 2024. These include a collaboration with Art Exhibition China on exhibitions on the Tang Dynasty and the Silk Road.
The subject is adventurous. The Institute of the Arab World (IMA) in Paris attempted a similar exhibition in 2017, but failed. At that time, the Arab World Institute envisioned an exhibition covering exchanges between the two sides from the time of Alexander the Great to the time of Genghis Khan, but China wanted to be at the center of the narrative and was unwilling to cover such a long period.
The castle of the Dukes of Brittany also had its share of misfortunes. The castle was originally planned to host a Genghis Khan exhibition in Nantes in cooperation with the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot. In 2020, when the project was ready, China requested that three words be removed from the exhibition title: “Genghis Khan,” one “Empire,” and one “Mongolia.” China’s demands were considered too excessive. In the end, the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany gave up cooperation with China and decided to hold its own exhibition in China without borrowing exhibits.
The Guimet Museum has long been considering how to avoid the pitfalls. Yannick Lintz, the curator of Guimei, said that he “does not hold an exhibition on the Silk Roads, as this might cause problems, but rather concentrates on Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and its heyday. In this way, there is nothing to say in terms of science. In terms of diplomacy, it is suitable for everyone.
We cannot give up on Chinese civil society
Although there are pitfalls in Sino-French cultural cooperation, France believes that it must not give up on Chinese civil society.
Robert Lacombe, the former French cultural counselor in Beijing, said, “China is not Xi Jinping with 1.4 billion brains removed, but a diverse, complex, and changeable society. The middle class is growing, including young, educated A public that is generally multilingual, open to the world, interested and curious about things they don’t know. It would be good if we could move the boundaries, even just a little bit.”
Husky, the former China correspondent of Liberation Daily, also believes, “Everyone still remembers the myth of the French Cultural Center in East Berlin. Although it is also restricted, it is still a place where you can breathe. Even now, people talk about East Berlin. When visiting the French Cultural Center in Berlin, my voice still trembles.”
2024-02-05 23:21:00
#Monde #pitfalls #cultural #diplomacy #China #France
