In central France, just a hundred kilometers from Paris, lies the small town of Montargis, home to a unique cultural landmark – the Deng Xiaoping Square. Beside it stands a century-old monument that quietly tells stories of the past. Leaving the square and entering the city center, you’ll see a three-story old building. This building was once the residence of Chinese students who came to France for work-study programs and is now the Historical Museum of Franco-Chinese Friendship, a site little known in China but widely recognized in France over the past eight years.

Historical Museum of Franco-Chinese Friendship

How did the museum take root and flourish in the Western world? In the China-Europe-America Museums Cooperation Initiative: Fourth Dialogue, the museum’s director, Peiwen Wang, shared the answer: building a harmonious cultural exchange bridge with a global mindset. She believes that the museum, primarily serving European visitors, must master cultural integration and use precise positioning and innovative strategies to bridge cultural gaps.

Full speech by Peiwen Wang

The museum cleverly integrates historical materials into everyday teaching for primary and secondary education, the cornerstone of the French education system. It hosts study tours, Chinese language teaching projects, and inter-school cultural exchanges. For example, the museum combines HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) with tours, encouraging visiting students to create and answer their own multiple-choice, quiz, and open-ended questions. These activities also facilitate sharing teaching experiences among the museum, teachers, and schools.

Furthermore, the museum considers young students to be a vital part of its community. By collaborating with think tanks and universities, it introduces young students into the China-France Thousand Interns Program, which gathers interns and volunteers from across Europe. Their deep involvement injects fresh perspectives into the museum and fosters a greater understanding and respect for the museum among non-professional audiences.

A French student interns at the museum, meeting with Director Wang during the pandemic

For scholars and experts, the museum focuses on specialized seminars between Chinese and French scholars and curates expansive exhibitions. These include themes like René Dumont, a renowned environmental scientist once influenced by Chinese students from work-study programs and committed to studying French politics, China’s green initiatives, and remarkable women among the Chinese students in France a century ago. These themed exhibitions not only enrich the museum's content but also broaden its societal impact.

Moreover, the museum aims to broaden its reach through social engagement. For example, to attract young treasure hunters, the museum collaborated with a game creator to hide vintage suitcases, transforming the space into a real-world adventure. This spread historical knowledge and enriched the museum’s collections. Additionally, the museum invited Chinese and French sculptors to artistically recreate figures from the Chinese work-study movement, embedding this history into France's artistic heritage.

The museum displays sculptures of revolutionary pioneers Hesen Cai and Jingyu Xiang

Director Wang stated that sustained appeal is crucial for the museum’s longevity and growth. As a niche museum preserving China’s modern revolutionary history in the West, the biggest challenge it faces is maintaining cross-cultural understanding and diversity. Yet, through practical actions, the museum demonstrates how to achieve sustainable development by leveraging local resources. This not only provides valuable examples for peers but also offers profound inspiration for cultural exchange and understanding beyond the museum field.