Sino-French cultural exchange festival kicks off in Beijing

BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- A Sino-French cultural exchange festival kicked off here Wednesday.

Known as "Festival Croisements," the festival, which runs through July 31, will stage 78 cultural events featuring a series of artistic and cultural exchanges between the two countries in 14 cities across China.

The festival was suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reopening of the festival in 2021 bears a special meaning, said France's Ambassador to China Laurent Bili.

The high-quality and diversified activities demonstrate the tremendous creativity of the two peoples and their strong desire to communicate with each other, the ambassador said.

Cultural activities will be held with a special focus on such fields as visual arts, operas, films, dances and books.

This year, the festival starts to seek communication in the fashion industry. A fashion show will be held in Shenzhen, an economic hub in south China's Guangdong Province, with designers from both countries cooperating under the theme of sustainable fashion.

Chinese actor Jin Dong, actress Tong Liya and designer Shangguan Zhe are the "ambassadors" of this year's festival.