Jewelry art from Paris encounters the Oriental Pearl, offering a place for the public to pursue their passion for jewelry, its history and craft. Shanghai is now the third permanent location outside of Paris and Hong Kong to host the L'ÉCOLE School of Jewelry and Art by the renowned French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels.

"From beginners to connoisseurs or simply curious audiences and young people, L'ÉCOLE offers a rich program of in-person courses, online and offline talks, as well as exhibitions, publications, and research projects. All exhibitions are open free to the public. It is an initiation school, open to everyone, with no special requirements. Since its inception, L'ÉCOLE has welcomed a diverse audience from various industries and professions in China, from young children to adults and even senior citizens," said Giulietta Yu, Managing Director of L'ÉCOLE China.

The venue will also host workshops, a library, and courses on topics such as the evolution of jewelry through civilizations and eras to help promote the connection between Chinese and French art and culture.

Shanghai has grown into a contemporary art destination, attracting what's seen as the highest level of cultural cooperation with the Centre Pompidou museum in Paris.

As a major international destination for contemporary art, Shanghai has reached the pinnacle of cultural cooperation with the Centre Pompidou Museum in Paris.

During the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, the Centre Pompidou is the cultural calling card of France. Since 2019, the museum has been collaborating with the West Bund Museum Project in Shanghai. An agreement has been signed to renew this successful partnership for another five years, with the aim of developing a much broader and more expansive cultural partnership.

The project will see a range of collaborative programs launched over the next five years, including exhibitions, seminars, performance art, and educational events.

France is also among the countries to benefit from China's visa-free travel policy. "So for a French citizen who wants to travel to China, I think it's obviously a great thing. If I see it from my own perspective and the perspective of this project here, it's going to help us a lot. Because all year long we have teams of colleagues who come from Paris: some are art handlers, some are exhibition curators, some are art conservators. All of them need to come here on quite a regular basis. If they don't stay longer than two weeks, then it's going to be much easier for them if they don't have to apply for a visa and they know that they have the flexibility. They will enjoy coming to Shanghai even more, not just to work, but to explore," Frèches said.