Diplomatic relations have deep roots

Then French president Charles de Gaulle announced the country's recognition of the People's Republic of China half a century ago, opening the door for diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Now Sino-French ties are strong, and the relationship is the one that is dynamic and characterized by frequent personal exchanges and economic cooperation.

Beijing Xishan Mountain area in Haidian district shares a deep history with France, where there are many related historical relics, such as the Villa of Bussiere and a hot spring sanatorium as well as stories that demonstrate the friendship between the two countries.

A group of French scholars, together with Chinese professionals who had returned from France, worked in the area to draw on the experience of the more industrialized Western nation to help the local population enrich themselves.

They made great improvements in fields like education, autonomy in rural areas and the construction of social infrastructures.

Born in 1881, Andre d'Hormon was a great French literary scholar who spent most of his life in China. Even when he returned to his motherland in 1954, he continued to make contributions to the study of Chinese culture.

Though he kept a low profile throughout his life, his legendary experiences now have attracted increasing attention of researchers from both countries.

In 1906, d'Hormon started his career in China as a French teacher of the royal family in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

After 1920, he began working on a project to construct new villages in the Xishan Mountain area and launched a work-study program encouraging Chinese students to receive higher education in France. He was also one of the founding members of the Sino-French University in 1920.

A large number of young Chinese benefited from the program. Some later became leaders in the country, including Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping.

D'Hormon made remarkable accomplishments in the study of the Chinese language and translated a lot of classic Chinese dramas and other literary works.

Another famous figure, Jean Jerome Augustin Bussiere was known as France's version of Norman Bethune. Bethune, a household name in the country, was a volunteer Canadian doctor who helped Chinese patients in the 1930s.

Born in 1872, Bussiere came to China at the age of 40 working as a doctor in the French embassy and then opened a clinic of his own in Beijing. He once served as a school doctor at Yenching University, the predecessor of Peking University.

He also participated in d'Hormon's new village construction project and was selected to be the chief executive director of the Sino-French University.

Bussiere was the center of attention at social gatherings of French people living in Beijing. Most of the events took place at the drawing room of his house located in the Xishan Mountain area, where he spent most of his time. Locals nearby often sought his help because of his excellent medical skills.

His residence, the Villa of Bussiere, was also an important stop for members of the Chinese Communist Party to exchange intelligence during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

The third representative is the French poet Saint-John Perse.

In 2005, the then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao talked about Perse when he delivered a speech at Ecole Polytechnique, a science and engineering university in Paris, saying Perse finished a long poem called Anabase in a Taoist temple in the Xishan Mountain area.

The poem, set against a backdrop of Chinese temple fairs, won Perse a Nobel Prize in 1960.

Perse decided to work in China as a diplomat in 1916 because he loved Chinese culture. He also gave himself the Chinese name Lei Xiai.

By touring China's northeastern and northwestern areas with Bussiere, he expanded his knowledge of the country.

The last one is Li Shizeng, one of the celebrated Chinese who studied in France.

Born in a wealthy and noble family, Li was the son of a teacher of the Guangxu emperor (1871-1908). When he returned from France, he devoted his life to shaking off China's poverty and backwardness by utilizing the advanced theories he learned in France.

As a participant in the work-study program, he and his peers helped to promote the movement to accumulate many high-quality human resources.

Contact the writers through haonan@chinadaily.com.cn.