Players compete for the ball during a friendly game between a local team and a French youth delegation team in Rongjiang, Guizhou Province, on February 26, 2024. Photo: VCG

An exhibition being held in several cities in France has captured the attention of many French visitors, showcasing the ethnic culture of Rongjiang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. Rongjiang is the birthplace of China's Village Super League (VSL), a sensational grass-roots soccer tournament known as Cunchao in China. 

Hosted by Secours Populaire Français (SPF) or French Popular Relief, a French nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a fairer and more inclusive world, the exhibition chronicles a trip made by a French youth delegation to Guizhou aiming to strengthen people-to-people exchanges on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. 

Julien Villain, a member of the national committee of SPF and head of the delegation, told the Global Times on Monday that the exhibition is intended to help more French people better understand Chinese culture and promote the friendship between the two countries. 

"The young French people were given a warm welcome in Rongjiang, and we have fond memories of the experience. That's why we wanted to create an exhibition, with the photos we had taken to immortalize this wonderful moment of exchange between French and Chinese youth," said Julien. 

"It's also a way for us to show that through sport and culture, we can build bridges of friendship and respect despite our differences," he noted. 

Starting on April 26 in Paris, the exhibition, which showcases photos of Rongjiang's ethnic culture and creative products of VSL, is slated to be staged in cities including Lille, Poitiers and Grenoble across France, to inspire new exchanges and solidarity programs between France and China.

Forging brotherhood

In February, Julien was part of the delegation of 34 French youngsters that traveled to Beijing and Guizhou for cultural exchanges and played a friendly soccer game with a local Rongjiang team who are participants of the phenomenal VSL. The group consisted of French students, volunteers and SPF staff.

The delegation visited Dali Dong Village in Rongjiang, which is known for its 240-year history and unique stilt-style wooden houses. They enjoyed local traditions such as drinking homemade rice wine and singing with villagers under the Dong drum tower.

Julien said that they wanted to develop solidarity among young people from different backgrounds during the trip in partnership with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the co-organizer of the trip. 

"Travel shapes youth. We want to build bridges of understanding and respect between peoples and forge bonds of brotherhood all over the world," he said. 

"We also want the Chinese people, especially in provinces like Guizhou, to discover the reality of French culture and the French people. One of our mottoes is the word 'fraternité,' which means 'brotherhood.' In our own way, we are trying to bring this promise to life," Julien said. 

Reciprocal invitation

Another member of the delegation, Pierre Expert, told the Xinhua News Agency that since returning to France, he and his friends have fondly reminisced about their time in Dali Dong village. The highlight of their experience was undoubtedly the exhilarating soccer match they played with the local team.

The mixed soccer match featured an equal number of men and women players on the Chinese and French sides, and the Rongjiang team emerged victorious in the three-section game with a 5-4 victory as the French side's Hamza Belbachir bagged a hat trick. "We don't speak the same language, but sport is a catalyst for cultural exchange and mutual understanding," Julien said. 

During the halftime break, the local residents performed traditional ethnic cultural shows such as Dong ethnic opera and Miao bamboo flute dance. In return, their French counterparts sang classic French songs "La Vie en Rose" and "Champs-Élysées."

"Soccer is the universal language that connects people from around the world. This is the first international friendly match ever held in Rongjiang, showcasing the international appeal of VSL and setting a good precedent for hosting more international events in the future," Li Mingxing, president of the Rongjiang County Soccer Association, told the Global Times.

Julien recalled that what impressed him most was the kindness of the local people and the warm welcome they received. "We want to prepare a return match in France in July, and we hope that the young people from Guizhou with whom we shared the match will be able to come to France for it," Julien added. 

With the Paris Olympic Games drawing closer, Julien said they have invited the young people they met in Beijing and Guizhou to come and take part in the Paris Games in July, in a nod to the Beijing 2008 invitation.

The SPF's partnership with CPAFFC began in 2008 when SPF launched a fundraising campaign in France to demonstrate the solidarity of the French people with the Chinese victims of the Sichuan earthquake.

During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, CPAFFC invited young people from SPF to take part in the Games as a symbolic way of thanking them for the solidarity they had shown for the Sichuan earthquake. 

"Since then, our exchanges with our Chinese partner have never ceased, focusing on culture and sport," said Julien. "Through this exchange, we hope to continue and initiate new solidarity projects between France and China for generations to come."