China House opens in Paris

Former volleyball player Hui Ruoqi (left) and former diver He Chong display folding fans with their signatures at the China House in the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris, France, on Wednesday. The China House, a pavilion set up and operated by the Chinese Olympic Committee, opened to the public on Wednesday, two days before the opening of the Paris Olympic Games. (WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY)

With the curtain yet to be raised on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Chinese culture has captivated Paris with the launch of the China House, which highlights for the world the country's rich history and modern achievements.

Visitors to the China House can try some of the Olympic sports' earliest forms, such as pitch-pot, which tests participants' accuracy as much as modern archery by requiring them to throw arrows into a distant pot, and cuju, the ancient ball-kicking game that some consider to be a prototype of soccer.

The China House, a pavilion set up at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris, opened to visitors on Wednesday and has captured the attention of Parisians and others with plenty of galleries, exhibits, demonstration events, and social networking activities on the sidelines of the Summer Games.

China's profound history, tradition, and culture in sports participation, dating back thousands of years, as well as sports exchanges between China and the Games' host, France, are among the highlights of this year's pavilion.

Artists perform at the launching ceremony. (WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY)

The launch of the house, a routine effort by the Chinese Olympic Committee since the first "China hut" was set up during the 2004 Athens Olympics, will take advantage of Olympics exposure to promote Chinese culture and friendship with the rest of the world, according to the COC.

"The China House has opened a window to our country's rich history, traditional sports culture, modern achievements, and friendly exchanges with the whole world over the past 20 years," Yu Jianyong, a deputy secretary-general of the COC, said on Wednesday.

"This year in particular, we put a series of recent exchanges between China and France in the areas of sports and cultural development on display at the facility, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries and to hail the joint efforts between China and France to promote the Olympic Movement," said Yu.

Visitors to the China House can watch a giant background screen featuring animated films that vividly depict activities by ancient Chinese such as boat diving, archery, and wrestling.

Exhibitions featuring artifacts, scroll paintings, and sculptures document the Chinese people's sports participation through the dynasties, while the country's prowess at the modern Olympic Games is demonstrated with medals, trophies, and commemorative pins.

A staff member (first from right) experiences the traditional sports activity Chuiwanat at the China House. (WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY)

Some China House visitors who are featured in the exhibits couldn't hold back their emotions after reviewing and reliving their history-making moments.

"I've seen a lot of Chinese elements since arriving in Paris, and the sports and culture demonstration at the China House today took my breath away again," said Hui Ruoqi, a retired volleyball star who was a member of China's gold-medal women's team at 2016 Rio Olympics.

"I've met a lot of foreign visitors today asking me more of the stories behind the pictures on display. This has clearly shown an increasing interest around the world in the development of Chinese sports.

"Hopefully, the seeds of interest planted here will bring more foreigners to visit China and help them get to know China better," she said.