Located 300 Meters Away from the Louvre Museum, the French “Panda Parlor”, Sichuan International Communication Center’s Paris Br

Attention, all panda enthusiasts around the world! Only 300 meters away from the Louvre Museum, a “panda” has made its permanent home in France!

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations. On October 22nd, local time, the Sino-French Cultural Exchange Event “Forum Panda” commenced in Paris. Prominent guests from various fields, including French politics, business, ecological and environmental protection, media, film and television, and cultural tourism, participated in the event for exchanges and speeches. On the same day, the French “Panda Parlor”, the Paris Branch of Sichuan International Communication Center (SICC), was officially launched.

Chen Lan, Chairman of Sichuan Daily Press Group, and Yao Xiaojing, General Manager of CTS Voyages, jointly inaugurated the SICC’s Paris Branch: French “Panda Parlor”. In the future, the two sides will initiate a series of collaborations centered around cultural exchanges and economic and trade cooperation, aiming at enabling Sichuan elements, represented by pandas, to shine brightly on the European stage.

As two great civilizations of the East and the West with a long cultural history and copious cultural resources, China and France illuminate each other like twin beacons. Sichuan and France have already formed a deep friendship as well. For instance, in 1869, French missionary David discovered the first panda in Ya’an, Sichuan. Another case in point, in 1981, Chengdu established a sister-city relationship with Montpellier, a French city, which became the first city for Sichuan to develop such a relation.

Since the new century, the friendship between Sichuan and France has continued to flourish. Firstly, in 2005, the Consulate General of the Republic of France in Chengdu was opened. Secondly, since 2011, former French Prime Minister Mr. Raffarin has led a delegation to Sichuan to participate in the Western China International Fair for five consecutive years, consistently praising Sichuan’s culture, economy, and social development. Thirdly, in 2017, Chengdu Sino-French Ecopark was inaugurated, becoming a significant platform for Sino-French industrial joint ventures and cooperation. Fourthly, this year, the Airbus Lifecycle Services Centre was put into operation in Chengdu...

Standing at a new historical intersection, Sichuan, as a strategic hinterland, economic engine, and cultural hub in southwestern China, will expand cooperation areas, deepen cooperation efforts, and explore new paths for development with France and the world.

On the one hand, the SICC is a provincial-level professional international communication institution outlined in Sichuan’s “14th Five-year Plan”, leading operations of the Sichuan international communication network. Currently, it owns 1 prominent video platform for international communication: “Inspiration”, 1 international communication intelligent technology platform: “Vertical-eyed Cloud”, 1 international communication mini app: PandaGuide, 2 international communication journals: “Vision Sichuan” (Chinese-English) and “The Belt and Road Reports (Chinese-English)”, 3 international communication websites: Center Official English Website, Sanxingdui Archaeology Official English Website, and “Vision Sichuan” Bilingual Website, and nearly 100 overseas social media accounts. Additionally, it boasts over 20 million overseas users with an overseas dissemination volume exceeding 5 billion, enjoying growing influence across the globe. On the other hand, CTS Voyages is a renowned European enterprise deeply involved in the field of cultural and tourism exchange and communication between China and Europe, providing long-term services for governments, business, brands, media, and other clients, and possessing rich resources in politics, economy, media, as well as cultural tourism.

In order to effectively build an international channel collaboration network, at the end of June 2024, the SICC, cooperating with Kwai, established its São Paulo Branch in Brazil: Brazilian “Panda Parlor”. Furthermore, on October 22nd, the SICC’s Paris Branch: French “Panda Parlor” was officially launched. It is located in the 1st Arrondissement in the central area of Paris, adjacent to the Louvre Museum, Tuileries Gardens, and Paris Opera House, with two floors and an area of 200 square meters.

After the “panda” settled in, less than 300 meters away from the Louvre Museum, it will actively exert the advantages of featured resources of a local international communication institution to carry out a series of activities of introduction and going global in cultural exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, media co-creation, and other fields. The goal is to become a fresh bridge and bond between Sichuan and France, and even between China and France.