The Beijing People’s Art Theatre (BPAT) in Beijing on Thursday warmly welcomed Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Brigitte Macron is accompanying the French president on his state visit to China.
During the visit, Peng and Brigitte gained an in-depth understanding of the development of the BPAT and its exchanges with the French theater community. They also explored the stage set of the classic Chinese play “Teahouse,” watched a play segment and had an engaging conversation with the performers.
The Chinese play “Teahouse” made history in 2019 when it was performed at the Festival d’Avignon in France, marking the first time a Chinese play was invited to one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary performing arts festivals. The play’s debut left a lasting impression on Olivier Py, then director of the Festival d’Avignon, who described it as one of the best productions he had ever seen.
In April 2024, the BPAT unveiled its latest Chinese adaptation of Moliere’s classic “The Miser,” captivating audiences with its splendid performances.
In late October, the French classic drama “Les Paravents” (The Screens), one of the founding pillars of contemporary French theater, was featured in the 2025 BPAT International Theatre Invitation Exhibition, staged at the Capital Theatre for a three-day run. This marked the first time the widely acclaimed play was presented in its entirety in China.
Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, visit the Beijing People’s Art Theatre in Beijing, China, December 4, 2025. /VCG
Peng said generations of Chinese dramatists have adhered to inheriting and promoting fine traditional Chinese culture in their artistic creations, while learning from foreign theaters and actively advancing innovation and development.
In addition to the exchange of plays and theater, China and France have also strengthened other aspects of cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The 2024 China-France Year of Culture and Tourism advanced cooperation in the fields of education, sports, and film and television, and more than 6,000 French students traveled to China for exchanges and study that year. Growing numbers of French tourists are also visiting China, thanks to China’s visa-free policy.
This year marks both the beginning of a new 60-year cycle in China-France diplomatic relations and the start of the second decade of their high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges.
Looking ahead, Peng expressed hope that artists from both China and France, two major cultural countries, will continue to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, and create more outstanding artistic works.
Appreciating Peng’s thoughtful arrangements, Brigitte Macron spoke highly of Chinese dramatic arts and expressed her willingness to actively promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
