In the summer of June, the spring city of Kunming was full of flowers, and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the 18th "Sino-French Cultural Spring" series of activities - "Claude Verla's Retrospective" large-scale solo exhibition was grandly opened at the Kunming Museum of Contemporary Art on the afternoon of the 28th. On the 29th, Kunming Information Port invited Aurélien Krafft, the head of culture of the Alliance Française Kunming, as the anchor, and together with the host Pan Xueting, opened two live broadcast activities in Park 1903. It not only "looks back" at the famous French artist Claude Viallat's important solo exhibition in China held at the Kunming Museum in 1999, but also "clouds" to visit a dazzling and creative global characteristic market, presenting a wonderful scene of the integration of Chinese and French cultures.
O'Heiliang, head of culture at the Alliance Française Kunming, was at the event guided site. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
Immersive "Looking Back" art exhibition
At half past ten o'clock in the morning of the 29th, the first live broadcast was opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kunming, and the head of culture of the Alliance Française Kunming, Ao Heiliang, led the citizens of Kunming to visit the exhibition in an "immersive" way, introducing Verla's works in the past 30 years with a bilingual guide in Chinese and French. "This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and the 'Franco-Chinese Cultural Spring' event aims to promote exchanges between Chinese and French cultures and artists." Ryo Okuhei said in the opening remarks of the guide. In this exhibition, more than 80 of Verla's works are unveiled in Kunming, which is the largest exhibition he has ever held in China.
Guided tour of the exhibition. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
At the exhibition site, Ao Heiliang shuttled through the space separated by white walls, guiding the audience to appreciate the masterpieces of each exhibition area one by one. From time to time, he pauses to explain, "Coming from the southern French city of Nîmes, Verla advocates the removal of traditional frames and mediums, and works on unframed canvases. Verla's artistic approach is simple and unpretentious, unfolding in an infinitely repeated, vibrant geometric array of 'sponge'-like patterns. ”
A presentation of Claude Verla's work. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
"Then what's the point of Verla's choice of shape?" A Kunming citizen asked curiously. "There is no specific meaning," Ao Hei Liang patiently and carefully explained to her, "Verla's artistic creation is to dissolve the subject of the painting by constantly repeating the main elements, without specific symbolism, without stories and emotions, and to present a neutral painting style." Ao Heiliang actively interacted with the audience, explaining the style and meaning of "carrier/surface" painting art by asking questions and displaying pictures, showing the unique charm of French abstract art to the audience.
"Cloud" to visit the bustling global characteristic market
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Kunming Global Characteristic Market was crowded and lively. The market brings together more than 60 stalls such as French baking, Yunnan Tuo tea, vinyl records from various countries, etc., neatly arranged along the two rows, which not only exudes a strong French style, but also integrates the unique charm of Yunnan, adding a unique color to the city. Here, tradition and modernity, East and West are intertwined, and together they play a symphony of Chinese and French cultures.
Ao Heiliang broadcast live in front of the booth of the Alliance Française in Kunming. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
As the organizer of the Chinese-French bilingual guide of the large-scale solo exhibition "Claude Verla's Retrospective", the Alliance Française Kunming has played an active role in promoting the exchange of Chinese and French culture in recent years.
Then Ao Heiliang and the host Pan Xueting came to the Pu'er Tuo tea stall in Yunnan. In 1976, the Frenchman Fred Gample brought Yunnan Pu'er Tuo tea to France for the first time; The following year, Mr. Gampel ordered 2 tons of Yunnan Tuo tea, which made the ripe tea produced by the Yunnan Xiaguan Tea Factory officially enter the French market, and hence the name "Sales Fatuo".
Yunnan Pu'er Tuo tea booth live broadcast scene. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
"Ripe Pu'er tea is suitable for all ages, so it (tastes) very mellow, moist and sweet," said the stall owner, adding that Yunnan Pu'er Tuo tea, which has been fermented artificially in Wudui, not only has a good lipid-lowering effect, but also has multiple health effects such as nourishing the stomach and promoting calcium absorption without affecting sleep. Therefore, since the seventies and eighties of the last century, "selling Fatuo" has been very popular in France, and has gradually become popular in Europe and even the Americas. From 2 tons exported in 1977, to 8 tons, 20 tons, 80 tons...... Over the years, it has doubled, and by 1991 it had exceeded 200 tons, becoming a historical witness of Sino-French friendship.
Ao Heiliang noticed that above the Tuo tea stall, old black and white photos were hung. "This is a photograph taken and collected by Auguste François, the last French consul general in Yunnan, during his tenure in Yunnan." The stall owner patiently explained. In 1899, at the age of 42, Fang Suya, armed with seven cameras, a large number of glass negatives, and a movie camera borrowed from the Lumière brothers, the inventors of the film, spent nearly five years capturing the mountains, lakes, towns, villages, streets, and lives of the locals in Yunnan with her lens, and as much as possible in the photographs she took.
The stall owner shows the audience old photos of Yunnan taken by Fang Suya. Reporter Zhao Zhenlei / photo
At the end of the last century, Yunnan Fine Arts Publishing House spent a huge amount of money to buy back the copyright of these precious old photos. In the book "Old Stories and Old Photos of Old Kunming" displayed at the scene, we can get a glimpse of the old Kunming a hundred years ago: the scene of the dart bureau escorting supplies, the ancient city of Kunming in 1900, Tuodong Road, the East and West Temple Towers, and the bustling Fumin City...... These old photos make Kunming, a thousand-year-old city, not only have written records, historical legends, but also wonderful image memories more than 100 years ago, and the series of photos has also become a bridge to promote Sino-French friendship.
The wonderful thing is that just the day before, the current French ambassador to China, Mr. Bai Yutang, also came to the scene, admired these old photos, and tasted the "sales of Tuo". This moment seems to have become an intersection across time and space, and the cultural exchanges between China and France collide again. Whether it is the old photos of Yunnan taken by Fang Suya, or the best-selling Yunnan Pu'er Tuo tea in France, erasing the dust of the years, the Sino-French cultural exchanges have lasted for a long time.
The vinyl record booth was broadcast live. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
A vinyl record store then caught O'Hei Liang's attention, and the store was lined up like a treasure trove of music: from rock legend John Lennon's classics, to pop diva Taylor Swift's hit albums, to the melodious melodies of the opera "The Merry Widow", and a rare collection of early European film music, these musical treasures from all over the world are treasured.
Wandering around the store, his eyes were drawn to a special album called "Jean-Louis Aubert", which he picked up and said happily, "My mom loves this musician so much, I know they have a band called 'Téléphone'". At this time, the record player turns, and the melodious French chanson sounds, and the audience seems to travel to a vinyl record store in a street in France, and choose their favorite record in the slow flow of music.
French bakery stalls. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
Step out of the record store and you'll find a French bakery, Coo Mach. There is a wide variety of dessert breads on display in the store, and Ryo Okuhei excitedly explains: "Coo Maher is a particularly good place for a Frenchman (in Kun) because the desserts here are very authentic. ”
The manager, Gan Wei, said that since 2018, she has begun to try to combine the rich ingredients of Yunnan with French dim sum: for example, she cooperated with the Peking Opera Company of Yunnan Province to launch four French dessert mousses of "Shengdan Jingcho"; During the performance of the dance poetry drama "Only This Green" at the Kunming Theater, she used this as inspiration to launch the "Green Series" cake; And try to restore the hard shell bread that the old Kunming people loved, combined with the taste of Yunnan people, to make sandwiches. In her opinion, these attempts are to bring more beautiful French lifestyle and French culture to Kunming, and at the same time, she hopes to bring the customs and customs of Yunnan to France. Food exchange is not only a pleasure for taste buds, but also one of the important ways of cultural exchange between China and France.
Anchor Ao Heiliang and host Pan Xueting live broadcast at the Global Market. Reporter Shi Jiaxin/photo
It is understood that the live broadcast was simultaneously broadcast through the official WeChat video account of Kunming Information Port, YouTube and TikTok and other domestic and foreign social platforms, attracting many netizens to watch and interact. The live broadcast was disseminated 350,000 times and interacted 34,000 times on various platforms across the network. After the live broadcast, Oheiliang sighed that whether it was the summer solstice music day held not long ago, or the Sino-French guided tour of French artist Claude Verla today, as well as the global characteristic market, this series of activities not only celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the 18th anniversary of the Sino-French Cultural Spring, but also provided Kunming citizens with an excellent opportunity to understand French culture.
The cultural exchanges between China and France have a long history, and this event is just a wonderful beginning. In the future, Kunming will actively build a bridge for Sino-French cultural exchanges with a more open and inclusive attitude, which is also the meaning of Kunming as an open spring city. It is expected that more diverse and rich exchange activities will take root in Kunming in the future, and promote in-depth understanding and cooperation between the Chinese and French people in the fields of art and culture. It is believed that with the joint efforts of both sides, Sino-French cultural exchanges will continue to bear more fruitful fruits. (Kunming Information Port reporter Pan Xueting, Shi Jiaxin, Wang Junyan, Zhao Zhenlei, Xie Xingchen)