Paris 2024 | Chinese sports culture shines at the Olympics

The inauguration ceremony of the Vigor and Sportsmanship Chinese Sports Culture Exhibition is held ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bastille Design Center, Paris, France, July 23, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Fu Tian)

(ECNS) -- Recently, a Baduanjin experience activity was held in front of the Arc de Triomphe amid the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games, attracting a host of enthusiasts.

Baduanjin, which translates as “eight pieces of brocade”, is a set of traditional Chinese fitness exercises.

During the event, volunteers experienced the historical background, cultural connotations and health benefits of Badauanjin via a set of trading cards, and demonstrated its key movements.

With 2024 marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties, Kayou, a Chinese cultural and creative company, has produced trading cards promoting sports and culture under the supervision of General Administration of Sport of China.

The whole set of cards totals 33 items, displaying cultural relics collected at China Sports Museum, such as the Album of the Eight Pieces of Brocade and the snuff box.

The cards were showed at the Vigor and Sportsmanship Chinese Sports Culture Exhibition and streets activities in Paris.

Chinese traditional culture enthusiasts attended the activities, such as Chinese compatriots in horse-face skirts, the French who studied the movements of Baduanjin, and other international visitors.

Bernards, former staff member of UNESCO Culture Sector, visited the exhibition and said, “The beautiful cards are a new surprise in the cultural exchange between France and China.”

The cards are elaborately designed based on Chinese artifacts’ connotation and French fashion style, a Kayou’s representative said.

For example, the cards of Chinese ancient calligraphy and paintings use special paper to restore the color and texture of the collections, while the cards of snuff boxes use scented ink that can be rubbed to release their odor.

The logo on the box of the cards combines the form of a Chinese gourd symbolizing "happiness" with the shape of the Eiffel Tower, expressing good wishes for the long-lasting friendship between China and France and the beauty of Chinese and French cultures, the Kayou’s staff added.