The Chinese Tour in France's Most Beautiful Villages, an event designed to boost Chinese-French cultural exchanges, recently took place in southern France.

Performed by a traditional theatre troupe from East China's Fujian province, it featured excerpts from classic plays that have been passed down for centuries and are still popular in Fujian villages, such as Gaojia Opera and puppet shows, along with dance performances showcasing Chinese tea culture.

Two plays that portrayed French culture through traditional Chinese theater are said to have stood out among all the performances. 

One portrayed Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris using Chinese glove puppetry, while the other depicted Moliere's The Miser through Gaojia Opera, a traditional Chinese Fujian local opera. 

"Puppetry is a pure Chinese performance form that conveys all the nuances of a script," said Christian Luciani, an 83-year-old French theater veteran.

He added that the exchanges between the French and Chinese cultures would enrich the theatrical landscape of both nations, fostering greater intercultural dialogues and understanding between China and France.

"It transcends the boundaries of theater and helped the French rediscover their own culture, which is a remarkable achievement," Luciani said.