Francophonie Festival shares language’s charm in China

A series of 100 free events across 15 cities in China will be held throughout March to celebrate the 17th Francophonie Festival. The festival aims to showcase the diversified nature of French-speaking countries, and features 27 participating countries.

Events involving French-language films, music and literature will take place in Beijing, Dalian, Jinan, Qingdao and Xi'an between March 17 and 25. French Ambassador to China, Sylvie Bermann, made the announcement at a press conference last week.

Initiated by embassies of French-speaking countries and observers of the International Organization of Francophonie (IOF), one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world, the festival coincides with the Year of French Language in China.

Among the events is the Francophonie Film Festival, organized by embassies of French-speaking countries and the Alliance Français network in China. It features a wide selection of full-length and short films from nearly 30 French-speaking countries, all which will be screened with English and Chinese subtitles.

For music lovers, four French-speaking bands will perform melodic pop and jazz at a concert to be held on March 24 at the Yugong Yishan livehouse in Beijing.

Currently, there are 300 million French speakers in the world and about 100,000 French-language learners in China. "The French language brings us closer to various countries' cultures in French-speaking countries," said Romanian Ambassador to China, Doru Romulus Costea. A film titled Wedding in Bessarabie from Romania, an IOF member state, will be screened during the festival.

Aside from celebrating Francophone countries' similar cultural values, one of the purposes of the festival is to provide insight into life in more than 20 French-speaking African countries, according to Tunisian Ambassador to China, Mohamed Adel Smaoui. A French-language film titled Checkmate from Tunisia, another IOF member state and former French colony, will screen at the festival.For more info visit: www.faguowenhua.com/francophonie