French festival better than ever

Chaumuzeau admits it may take Chinese audiences some time to understand modern French art at first, but he is optimistic that the presence of such exhibitions and shows in China will gradually nurture background knowledge among the public.

The cultural counselor also reveals that in the future the festival is planning to include more fields designed to appeal to the Chinese public, such as architecture and fashion.

"It's important to develop links between art and the creative industries. Some designers are not that well-known by the general public, but they've already had a lot of wonderful projects in China."

Chaumuzeau says China's mushrooming cultural infrastructure and the public's rising interest in modern foreign culture are also good for the festival.

"When the festival first began, people probably didn't expect so many big projects within ten years. It's equally difficult to imagine what we can do in another 10 years," he says, smiling.