Youth Cultural Exchange Held in France and Monaco

At the invitation of the municipal government of Nice and the Monaco-China Association， the 2012-2013 China-France and China-Monaco youth cultural and art exchanges sponsored by the CPAFFC were held on the French Riviera （Cote d’Azur） and in Monaco respectively from February 21 to March 2. A delegation composed of the Shaanxi Little Swan Art Troupe and young singers from Beijing gave two performances and conducted other activities.

The exchanges received strong support from the Nice municipal government and the Government of the Principality of Monaco. The Vice Mayor of Nice， the Dean of the Department of Letters， Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Nice， and Monaco’s Minister of Interior and non-resident Ambassador to China watched a performance and delivered speeches， when they spoke of their good impressions of China， recounted the fruitful cultural and economic cooperation with China in recent years along with friendshipcity exchanges， and hoped to further the friendly bilateral relations. A CPAFFC representative， in turn， said that， “The key to sound relations between states lies in amity between the people， and the key to amity between the people lies in heart-toheart exchanges”. He hoped the delegation’s visit would help the French and Monacan audience better un- derstand Chinese culture and served as a suitable prelude to a series of activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.

The two performances were staged in famous local theatres decorated with Chinese dragons and traditional Chinese knots， and filled with a festive atmosphere. The audience mainly came from mainstream society.

The young performers from the Shaanxi Little Swan Troupe also visited the Ecole Superieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower where they shared a class with the French students and experienced Western ballet teaching.