成蒙!携手四十载 合作结硕果

李卉嫔

成都市档案馆珍藏着与蒙彼利埃有关的两份档案：一份是百年前著名川籍作家、《死水微澜》作者李劼人赴法留学的护照存根。另一份是40年前成都与蒙彼利埃缔结友好城市的中法双语版协议书，见证着成都开放的基因和与蒙彼利埃源远流长的友谊。

1919年，李劼人赴蒙彼利埃大学深造，成为中国文学史上较早向国内介绍法国文学的作家。

1981年6月11日，成都市时任市长米建书应法国蒙彼利埃市时任市长乔治·弗雷什的邀请，率成都市友好访问团一行6人，前往蒙彼利埃市进行友好访问。6月22日，两市市长签署缔结友好城市议定书。两市成为中法两国交流史上第一对友好城市，蒙彼利埃也成为成都的第一个友好城市。

成都与蒙彼利埃，一个是中国西部的“天府之国”，一个是法国南部的“阳光之城”。作为亚欧两座有着千年历史的文化名城和旅游城市，两市在经济、文化、教育、卫生、体育等多个领域开展了密切合作。

近年来，成都举行的“欧洽会”“糖酒会”和“西博会”等大型展会，先后迎来蒙彼利埃地中海大区主席、副主席和蒙彼利埃市长等重要领导人，中欧技术商务合作平台、“蒙彼利埃大区葡萄酒文化推广平台”“蒙彼利埃大区红酒文化展示交易中心”等一系列项目落地成都，演绎出成蒙经贸合作的加速度。

推广对方的语言和文化，以对方城市名命名学校——成都蒙彼利埃小学和蒙彼利埃成都小学的成功创建，让两地的教育合作更显紧密。

中西醫的碰撞，融合在不断战胜、攻克疾病的过程中，兼容并蓄、互学互鉴、合作共赢的广阔胸襟，为现代医学发展实践出正确方向——多元共生。

对体育活动共同的热爱，滑板、小轮车的乐趣，攀岩、冲浪的挑战，是对两市年轻人充满活力、热爱生活最好的解读。

“红白”对话的坦诚，让白酒配鹅肝、红酒配火锅成为新时尚，拓宽了两地经贸合作、文化交流的路径。

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经贸篇

“红白”对话谋合作

在2018年举行的成都春季全国糖酒会上，一位澳大利亚商人专门来找法国葡萄酒。当被问及“为什么要到成都来选法国葡萄酒”时，他说：“法国的葡萄酒产区那么多，在成都都能找到，我不用再去到处转了呀！”

蒙彼利埃地中海大区驻中国代表白昕迪观察总结出，北京、上海、广州等中国其他城市虽然也举办糖酒会，但相比而言，成都的糖酒会规模更大、更受欢迎。

成都能聚集众多法国红酒品牌，源于2012年落户于此的蒙彼利埃大区葡萄酒文化推广平台的加持。白昕迪是该推广平台的主要负责人。这位法国姑娘希望以后有更多四川人，边烫火锅边品葡萄酒。

蒙彼利埃地中海大区共有200多家葡萄种植户、53家酒庄、7家合作社、1个葡萄酒研究中心、13家葡萄酒科技和服务公司。如今，蒙彼利埃大区葡萄酒文化推广平台已整合了蒙彼利埃大区52家酒庄，致力于为中国消费者提供全方位、多角度了解和欣赏法国南部葡萄酒文化的机会。蒙彼利埃红酒因此成为继波尔多红酒之后走进中国的又一张法国红酒名片。

与此同时，2012年9月，成都市组织本地白酒企业赴蒙彼利埃开展“红白对话”交流活动，与蒙彼利埃市葡萄酒商进行商贸洽谈;2020年，成都与蒙彼利埃签署了《酒旅战略合作备忘录》，商定于每年10月举办“中法‘红白联姻’蓉蒙酒旅联交会”活动，在各自会员企业的酒庄中设置“中法友城‘红白’酒博馆”，相互展示和销售对方酒类产品和文化产品，构成一个不可分割的宣传联合体。

四川是中国有名的白酒之乡，蒙彼利埃拥有全球最大的葡萄园。相似的酒文化，让“红白”对话成为开启成蒙经贸合作的密钥。

以酒为媒，蒙彼利埃企业代表团连续多年赴成都参加“创交会”“欧洽会”“糖酒会”“西博会”等大型活动，从酒业合作出发，不断延长两市经贸合作的半径。以“欧洽会”为例，来成都参会的蒙彼利埃企业代表团每年都有不少新的斩获：

在2010年第五届“欧洽会”上，蒙彼利埃大区组织18家生物集群、水集群、农业集群及企业参加。蒙彼利埃城市群与成都高新区管委会、欧盟项目创新中心签署三方合作协议，致力于推进投资贸易产业。成蒙双方约定共同建设中欧技术商务合作平台，搭建中欧沟通的桥梁。

在2011年第六届“欧洽会”期间，80多家中方企业与蒙彼利埃150家企业参与项目配对洽谈、红酒品鉴、展览等活动。中方与法国萨克莱集群在集群创新、研发、投资、人才交流等方面签署了合作协议。

在2012年第七届“欧洽会”期间，欧盟项目创新中心与蒙彼利埃大区共同签署“蒙彼利埃大区葡萄酒文化推广平台”合作协议，双方决定在成都高新综合保税区设立“蒙彼利埃大区红酒文化展示交易中心”。在这次会上，双方还敲定2013年在成都设立蒙彼利埃大区成都代表处，以促进四川与蒙彼利埃大区在技术、经贸等领域的交流与合作。

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正如2017年来成都参加第十二届“欧洽会”的蒙彼利埃时任市长菲利普·索雷尔所言，两座城市可以进一步推动经贸往来，催生更多互利共赢的企业合作项目。对一些正在落地的项目，他表示，期待这些项目的未来前景。

近年来，成蒙两地的友谊不断升温，合作也取得了新进展;法国赛诺菲集团、法国影思生物扫描设备公司、1001PHARMACIE 线上药房等多个项目进入中国。

蒙彼利埃市政府鼓励本地企业到成都考察投资，积极推动中小企业入驻成都。成都市政府也不断优化营商环境，为来蓉发展的蒙彼利埃企业提供优质服务，同时积极鼓励和引导有实力的成都企业到蒙彼利埃寻找合作机会。

教育篇

中法文化交流先行者

“原定3月的成都相聚，由于防疫需要，贵校师生的来访只能遗憾地推迟到疫情结束。虽然疫情阻隔了我们的面对面交流，但却不能阻断彼此的牵挂和情谊。”2020年4月，法国疫情严重，四川大学附属中学（又名成都市第十二中学，以下简称“川大附中”）在寄给其友好学校蒙彼利埃市朱尔·盖德高中的慰问信中这样写道。川大附中法文课程班学生还为朱尔·盖德高中录制了法语问候视频。

早在2011年，川大附中与朱尔·盖德高中就签订了友好合作协议，两校师生的互访交流也由此拉开了序幕。

2013年，朱尔·盖德高中师生到访川大附中，他们在体验课程的同时，还向川大附中老师学习包汤圆、打太极拳、打活力鼓、编中国结……感受中国传统文化氛围。

2015年，川大附中派出17名师生访问蒙彼利埃。在为期8天的友好访问中，师生们参观博物馆、朱尔·盖德高中，体验法式课堂教学，还与蒙彼利埃市领导进行了交流。

2018年3月，朱尔·盖德高中师生再次到访川大附中，开展为期12天的交流活动。他们学书法、习功夫，体验插花、剪纸艺术，参观武侯祠、熊猫基地、乐山大佛、三星堆等著名景点，了解四川人文地理。丰富多彩的活动体验，加深了师生们对中国文化的了解，也推动了中法文化的深入交流。

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除了互访交流，2011年起，川大附中开设“拉伯雷课堂”，积极推进该校学生的法语教学。法国驻华使领馆分管教育官员、蒙彼利埃学区长、朱尔·盖德高中校长等先后多次到川大附中观摩“拉伯雷课堂”，指导学校的法语教学工作。因突出的法语教学成效，2015年，川大附中还被中法两国教育部联合认证为“法文课程班”项目学校，这是中国西部地区第一所国家层面的中法教育、文化交流项目学校。

引入更多的学校参加双方的语言、文化等领域的课程和活动，是2012年成蒙两市签订的教育交流合作框架协议指定的教育合作内容。为深入落实这一合作，成都9所中小学开设了“拉伯雷课堂”，蒙彼利埃6所中小学开设了“中文国际班”。

2019年11月3日，蒙彼利埃市时任副市长帕斯卡尔· 科让斯基一行走进成都蒙彼利埃小学（以下简称“蒙小”）一年级三班的法语课堂时，学习法语仅2个多月的学生已能够用简单的法语向来宾问好，做自我介绍。

在蒙小，除每周一节的法语课和丰富多彩的法语兴趣活动外，学校每年还会派送学生赴蒙彼利埃及法国其他地区游学，体验法式教育的魅力和法国的人文风情，两国学生在频繁的互动交流中建立起了深厚的友谊。

“今天，我在竹林里碰到了同学玛利的爷爷，爷爷十分亲切，我们还行了贴面礼。”“要离开蒙彼利埃了，我有点舍不得这里……”这些童真的话语是蒙小的学生在研学时留下的，也是两国学生深厚情谊的生动体现。

蒙小在推动中法文化交流中取得的成效，得到了中法两国政府的高度认可。

2016年，蒙小获得中法两国外交部联合颁发的“中法地方政府合作奖”特别奖。当年，全国仅8个机构单位获此殊荣。在2018年第六届中法地方政府合作高层论坛期间，蒙小项目作为地方政府合作成果，被纳入《中法高层人文交流机制备忘录》。

走进蒙彼利埃成都小学（以下简称“成都小学”），随处可见的中文标语和浓浓的中国风装饰，让到访的中国人倍感亲切。学校联合蒙彼利埃其他中小学创新推出“丝路中文课”，该课程基于一张巨大的手绘丝路地图，从意大利威尼斯出发一路向东，经过中国喀什、敦煌、西安等城市，来到以丝绸著称的苏州，最终通往中国首都北京，地图中还配有骆驼、桑蚕等图案。老师通过对相关城市的讲解，让学生不仅学会了中文，还对丝绸之路沿线国家的历史文化有了更深入的了解。

在蒙彼利埃的另一所小学——弗朗索瓦·拉伯雷小学，一款帮助学生学习中文的丝绸之路主题游戏深受大家喜爱。游戏针对丝绸之路沿线不同城市的特色，设计了寻宝、考古、航海等不同主题的小游戏，把古丝绸之路的历史文化知识融入简单好玩的小游戏中，极大地调动了学生学习中文的熱情。

2011年，为庆祝成都与蒙彼利埃结为友好城市30周年，两市决定互建蒙小和成都小学。10年过去了，由两所学校架起的交流之路不断拓宽。目前，汉语教学已被纳入法国国民教育体系，蒙彼利埃也成为法国首个实现中文课程从小学到高中全覆盖的城市。在中文国际班学习的中小学生约有400人，还有不少学生将中文作为第二或第三外语。

除基础教育外，成蒙两市在职业教育及高等教育方面也频频开创国际教育合作先河。2007年10月，成都市卫生局与欧洲最古老的医学院——蒙彼利埃医学院合作，创设了欧洲第一个中医大学教育文凭;2013年9月，电子科技大学与蒙彼利埃第二大学共建的孔子学院正式挂牌，这是中法之间第一对工科院校合作共建的孔子学院。此外，两市还定期互派留学生，截至2020年底，双方已互派留学生60余人次。

医疗篇

中西医碰撞后的多元化合作

2006年，成都市公共卫生代表团一行6人赴法，访问蒙彼利埃市政府和蒙彼利埃市医学院。两市就医疗、公共卫生、中医中药等方面进行协商与交流，签订了卫生合作的框架协议。自此，两市在医疗卫生领域的合作进入快车道。

2009年初，成都市第一人民医院（以下简称“市一医院”）副主任中医师赵煜登上了前往蒙彼利埃的航班。她此行是到蒙彼利埃医学院附属医院开展为期3个月的医学交流，为当地中医学生进行培训和在门诊诊疗。其间，有当地患者接受了赵煜的针灸治疗。“让我惊讶的是，蒙彼利埃民众对中医接受度很高，来找我针灸的很多都是年轻人。”赵煜回忆，蒙彼利埃时任副市长雅克·杜雄和中医交流合作项目的法方负责人阿兰等都有找她进行针灸。

2014年1月，成都市医管局与蒙彼利埃市政府及蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心签署两市医疗卫生合作备忘录，在成都共建“成都-蒙彼利埃糖尿病和老年痴呆症医学研究中心”，将两市的医疗合作交流推上新台阶。同年10月，研究中心正式挂牌成立。

此后，围绕这两个重点合作项目，成蒙双方频繁派出医生到对方医院开展长期的交流学习，不断深化双方的医疗交流与合作。

2015年5月起，成都市第五人民医院（以下简称“市五医院”）两次派遣管理团队赴法国蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心进行短期学习。

2015年12月至2016年8月，市一医院派出2人到法国蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心进修6个月。

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基于市五医院与蒙彼利埃合作的老年痴呆症项目，2017年和2018年，市五医院主治医师李铮先后两次赴蒙交流学习。“主要是观摩当地专家的诊治过程，也会参加会议讨论。”李铮告诉记者，两次赴法，拓宽了他的国际视野。之后，他和同事还多次参加全球最具影响力的致力于推进痴呆症科学研究的国际会议——阿尔茨海默病协会国际会议（AAIC）。

2018年10月，市五医院与蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心举行了双边交流会，并签署了《中法老年疾病研究所深度合作框架协议》，就脑脊液实验室建设、市五医院医生赴法攻读博士学位、多学科拓展合作等项目进行了深度讨论，进一步将成蒙双方在老年疾病方面的合作推向深入。

蒙彼利埃是法国有名的医学之城，蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心在糖尿病及老年痴呆症两大疾病的治疗及护理方面已进行了有益的科研尝试，并在胰岛细胞移植技术、胰岛素泵遥测治疗及老年痴呆症药物干预治疗方面都取得了重大成果。

市一医院医生兰菲、杨阎峙就是根据在蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心进修所学，将体内植入式胰岛素泵的经验应用于国内的体外胰岛素泵的使用和管理中，获得了不错的治疗效果。

蒙彼利埃也积极派出医生到成都交流学习。2019年8月4日，蒙彼利埃大学医疗中心在读研一学生Lucille和Oriane，结束了在市五医院为期一个月的临床实习。实习期间，两位法国医学生感受到传统中医疗法的神奇魅力，也亲自体验了中医疗法。Lucille惊叹中医疗法的神奇，Oriane则对传统经络理论及“董氏针灸”“平衡针灸”等疗法极为感兴趣。

蒙彼利埃医院管理中心副总院长居利艾·杜夏夫表示，中国是蒙彼利埃对外合作中最重要的国家，成都又是最重要的合作城市，双方在医疗卫生领域合作中所取得的成效让人赞叹，非常期待更多、更深层次的多元化合作，使双方的合作迈上一个新的台阶。

目前，虽然疫情让成蒙双方医疗合作的相关项目不得不放慢脚步，但彼此都坚信，“疫情结束，合作交流必将继续下去”。

体育篇

赛事名城遇上运动之都

2019年4月18日，成都蒙彼利埃小学青少年足球队登上了前往法国的航班，去参加第53届蒙彼利埃国际青少年足球锦标赛，小小足球员们对此行充满期待。

这并非成都首次派出青少年足球队逐梦蒙彼利埃。

2013年3月和2014年4月，成都派出青少年足球队赴蒙彼利埃参加第47届和第48届蒙彼利埃国际青少年足球锦标赛。

2017年4月，成都华西中学15名足球队员赴蒙彼利埃，参加第51届蒙彼利埃国际青少年足球锦标赛，经过8场对抗，最终荣获季军，同时还荣获了城市友好杯。

在成都与法国青少年足球交流持续升温的背景下，成都足协也曾派遣球员前往蒙彼利埃足球俱乐部交流学习。

成都与蒙彼利埃，一个致力于打造世界赛事名城，一个是国际知名的运动之都，共同的爱好让两市携手发展体育事业水到渠成。

2019年10月31日至11月3日，来自全球的300余名运动员齐聚成都，参加2019FISE（Festival International des Sports Extrêmes）世界极限运动巡回赛成都站比赛，在小輪车、滑板、轮滑、街舞等项目上演绎世界级对决。其中，小轮车自由式公园赛世界杯作为2020年东京奥运会的奥运积分赛，同时也是东京奥运会积分赛最后一轮比赛，比赛现场格外引人关注。11月3日决赛当天，成都阳光明媚，无数观众聚集到一起观看比赛，运动员惊险刺激的动作、花样百出的技巧，引发现场观众震耳欲聋的尖叫。

这是成都站连续举办的第六届FISE世界极限运动巡回赛，这项国际知名赛事落地成都离不开友城蒙彼利埃的大力支持。

FISE于1997年诞生于蒙彼利埃，是世界第二大、欧洲第一大极限运动赛事，至今已有24年历史。随着成都与友城蒙彼利埃交流合作日益密切，为进一步深化两市在体育领域的友好交流，2014年，成都应蒙彼利埃邀请成功举办了第一届赛事。

近年来，随着小轮车自由式、滑板、攀岩、冲浪四项运动进入东京奥运会正式项目，赛事规模及国际影响力显著增长。“越来越多的运动员来参加成都站比赛，这也证明了成都在极限运动和城市运动方面很了不起。”负责FISE赛事运营的法国飓风极限运动有限公司营销与传播总监约瑟夫·维勒弗拉尤克斯表示。数据显示，成都站赛事现场观众由2014年的10余万人次增加到2019年的25万余人次，社交媒体参与度累计超过890万人次，国际及国内视频浏览量累计超过1250万次。参赛的国内外运动员由2014年的200人增加到2018年的527人，参赛国家由2014年的20个增加到2018年的38个……

蒙彼利埃市时任副市长帕斯卡尔·科让斯基表示，成都举办FISE世界极限运动巡回赛，不仅可以让成都的极限运动爱好者尽情比赛，也能让成都和蒙彼利埃通过极限运动这根纽带进行更深入的合作。

各国极限运动员也表达了对成都的喜爱。参加2018年FISE世界极限运动巡回赛成都站的运动员Nick Bruce说：“成都是极限运动的理想之城，每年都会给我带来惊喜，我能从这里汲取到无限的能量。”另一名运动员Cat Fish则表示：“成都有深厚的历史底蕴，丰富的文化活动，单车运动非常受欢迎。来过之后，我理解了她（成都）能成为国际赛事中心的原因。”

FISE世界极限运动巡回赛在成都的举行，推动成都打造国际体育赛事名城，建设西部文创中心和国际交流中心的同时，也逐渐使成都元素成为该项世界级运动盛会中一道亮眼的中国标签，更为成都市新增了一个对外传播的独特窗口。

FISE的成功引入还帮助成都培养和挖掘了更多极限运动人才。2018年12月，成都引进法国飓风集团创立的极限运动培训学院——菲赛学院，结合飓风公司在成都郫都区建设的四川省内首个国际级水准综合性极限运动场地，面向青少年及广大运动爱好者开展自由式小轮车、街式滑板、街式轮滑及滑板车等项目的训练和赛事活动。

文旅篇

多彩活動  多彩生活

“蒙彼利埃气候温和，每年300天光照时间，城市建设极具个性且保持活力和创新，多种文化交流融合，是法国的浪漫生活之都。成都乃至中国西南地区是我们重要的客源地。”2018年9月，在成都举行的蒙彼利埃地中海大区旅游与葡萄酒推介会上，蒙彼利埃地中海大区旅游局时任副局长玛丽-多米尼克·贝拉米向参会的旅行社介绍起当地的旅游资源和特色旅游线路。

拥有罗马建筑、古文化遗产、地中海风情、著名葡萄园的蒙彼利埃，每年都会吸引大量来自世界各地的游客。作为其友城的成都，自然成为蒙彼利埃关注的重要旅游市场。

2013年9月，蒙彼利埃联合成都举办法国南部文化体验日活动，活动现场，成都市民在欣赏精彩纷呈的表演之余，还品尝到美酒美食，在视觉、味觉、听觉三重感官叠加下全方位地感受到纯正的法式风情。活动结束后，市民赞不绝口，甚至有人萌生了来一次蒙彼利埃之旅的冲动。

2014年10月23日，成都举办了“蒙彼利埃风光摄影展”。展出的近百幅蒙彼利埃风光摄影作品，向成都市民展现了该市丰富的旅游资源和优美的人文风情，为增进两市传统友谊，推动两市文化交流与合作搭建起一座桥梁。

2017年11月，蒙彼利埃与成都联合举办“法国蒙彼利埃地中海南部摄影作品展览暨法国美食月”活动，成都市民在家门口即可欣赏法国南部秀美的风光，品尝纯正的法式大餐。

成都也通过各种方式吸引蒙彼利埃市民的目光。2016年5月，成都以蒙彼利埃“国际极限运动会”20周年为契机，举办“蒙彼利埃成都友好城市日”，通过文艺表演、美食品鉴、游戏互动等多种形式推介成都城市形象，在当地引起了热烈反响。

蒙彼利埃很细心地设置了很多成都元素，以增加成都游客的好感：远近闻名的“成都街”“成都广场”，以大熊猫为标志的川菜馆……都成为四川游客在蒙彼利埃的热门打卡地。

慢生活节奏、乐观豁达的性格，让两市人民的文化也更加交融。

很多老成都市民还对16年前出现在春熙路街头的成都蒙彼利埃“友谊井”记忆深刻，这个被称作“第三只眼”（多媒体视频播放器，通过远程视频技术实现实时交流）的作品分别被安置在成蒙两市最繁华热闹的街头，让两地市民掀开“井”盖就能看到对方城市独特的风景。

2012年6月，全球巡回演出超过100场的蒙彼利埃“疯子们的吧台”摇滚乐团，在成都东区音乐公园和天府国际社区举行了两场演唱会，丰富了成都市民的夏日生活。

蒙彼利埃艺术家多次来蓉参加“国际友城青年音乐周”，新派的音乐、诗朗诵等精彩表演，让成都市民感受法国艺术文化的魅力。

作为成蒙两地合作交流的桥梁——成都蒙彼利埃之家一直定期举办“中法文学艺术对话沙龙”“红酒品鉴”“电影沙龙”和“法国南部生活沙龙”等活动，为成都市民及在蓉法籍人士提供了友好交流的平台。自2008年12月“成都民间大使赴蒙之旅”启动至今，蒙彼利埃之家还定期组织成都市民赴蒙彼利埃旅游，进行民间友好访问活动。

Two documents about Montpellier are kept in the Chengdu Archives. One is the stub of the passport of Li Jieren， a renowned Sichuan writer and author of Ripple on Stagnant Water， who studied in France a century ago. The other is the bilingual agreement between Chengdu and Montpellier to form sister city relations 40 years ago. Both of the documents witness the opening-up of Chengdu and its long-standing friendship with Montpellier.

In 1919， Li Jieren went to the University of Montpellier for further studies and became one of the earliest writers to introduce French literature to China.

On June 11， 1981， at the invitation of Georges Frêche， then Mayor of Montpellier， France， Mi Jianshu， then Mayor of Chengdu， led a mission of six members to Montpellier for a friendly visit. On June 22， Mayors of the two cities concluded a sister city protocol. The two cities became the first pair of sister cities in the history of China-France exchanges， and Montpellier became the first one that formed sister city relations with Chengdu.

Chengdu is known as the “Land of Abundance” in western China while Montpellier is a “sun-kissed city” in southern France. As two famous cultural and tourism cities with a history of thousands of years in Asia and Europe， they have been carried out close cooperation in many fields such as economy， culture， education， health and sports.

In recent years， Chengdu has staged several large-scale events， including the EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair， China Food and Drinks Fair and Western China International Fair. President and Vice President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole， Mayor of Montpellier and other key leaders have paid visits to Chengdu. The city has also launched a series of projects， such as a China-EU technology and business cooperation platform， a Montpellier wine culture promotion platform and a Montpellier wine culture exhibition and trading center， thus speeding up the cooperation between Chengdu and Montpellier.

To promote each other’s language and culture， they have named a school after the other city respectively. The establishment of Chengdu Montpellier Primary School and Chengdu Primary School in Montpellier shows closer cooperation between the two cities in education.

The mutual impact of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine and their integration occur in the process of making breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases. Featuring inclusiveness， mutual learning and win-win cooperation， they have found the right direction for the development of modern medicine — coexistence.

Young people in both cities are full of energy and love for life. They take an active part in sports and enjoy the fun skateboarding and bicycle motocross and the challenging rock climbing and surfing.

Chinese Baijiu is popular in Montpellier to match goose liver while red wine is matched with hotpot in Chengdu. This new fashion broadens the path of business cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two places.

Economy and trade：

Cooperation in “red wine and Chinese Baijiu”

At China Food and Drinks Fair （CFDF） held in Chengdu in 2018， an Australian businessman came for French wine. When asked “why he came to pick French wine in Chengdu”， he said： “There are so many French wine producing regions in the city， so It is the best choice！”

Bai Xindi， representative of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole in China， concluded that although CFDF is also held in other Chinese cities such as Beijing， Shanghai and Guangzhou， the fair in Chengdu is most popular one with the largest scale.

Chengdu has brought together numerous French wine brands thanks to the Montpellier wine culture promotion platform set up in 2012. As the main person in charge of this platform， Bai hopes that more people in Sichuan are willing to drink wine while savoring the hotpot in the future.

Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole has more than 200 winegrowers， 53 wineries， seven cooperatives， one wine research center and 13 wine technology and service companies. At present， the Montpellier wine culture promotion platform has gathered 52 wineries. They are committed to providing Chinese consumers with an opportunity to understand and appreciate the wine culture of southern France in a comprehensive and multi-faceted manner. Montpellier wine became another French wine brand to enter China after Bordeaux wine.

In September 2012， Chengdu organized local enterprises of Chinese Baijiu to Montpellier for exchanges and trade negotiations with wine traders there. In 2020， Chengdu signed the Strategic Cooperation Memorandum for Wine Tourism with Montpellier. Since then， an activity for cooperation between the two cities in terms of red wine and Chinese Baijiu has been staged every October. They agreed to set museums for French red wine and Chinese Baijiu in wineries or distilleries of their respective member enterprises.

Sichuan is well-known for producing Chinese Baijiu while Montpellier boasts the world’s largest vineyard， with extremely high production. The similar cultures make red wine and Chinese Baijiu the key to opening the economic and trade cooperation between China and Montpellier.

The delegation of Montpellier’s enterprises has been to Chengdu for consecutive years to participate in large-scale events like China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair， EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair， and CFDF.

At the 5th EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair in 2010， there were 18 biological clusters， water clusters， agricultural clusters and enterprises from Montpellier. A tripartite cooperation agreement was signed among Montpellier City Cluster， Management Committee of Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone （CDHT） and EU Project Innovation Centre （EUPIC）. The three sides will join hands to advance the investment and trade industry， and Chengdu and Montpellier decided to jointly build a China-EU technology and business cooperation platform for China-EU exchanges.

During the 6th EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair in 2011， more than 80 enterprises of China and 150 enterprises from Montpellier conducted negotiations and participated in activities like wine tasting and exhibition together.

During the 7th session in 2012， the EUPIC and Montpellier signed a cooperation agreement for the Montpellier wine culture promotion platform. The two sides decided to set up the Montpellier wine culture exhibition and trading center at Chengdu High-tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone. During this session， both sides decide to set up Chengdu Office of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole promoting exchanges and cooperation in technology， economy and trade.

When attending the 12th session in 2017， Philippe Saurel， then Mayor of Montpellier， said that the two cities can further advance economic and trade exchanges and create more mutually beneficial business cooperation projects. The municipal government of Montpellier encourages the local businesses to visit and invest in Chengdu and makes active efforts to help small and medium-sized enterprises to set up offices in Chengdu. As of now， multiple projects have been launched in China by Sanofi， French Yingsi Biometric Scanning Equipment Co.， Ltd.， 1001Pharmacies， etc. Chengdu Municipal People’s Government keeps improving its business environment to offer quality services to enterprises from Montpellier. Besides， it encourages powerful enterprises to visit Montpellier and seek cooperation opportunities there.

Education：

Pioneer in cultural exchanges between China and France

“Our reunion， which was scheduled for March in Chengdu， had to be postponed until the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic prevented us from communicating face to face， our friendship has always been there， and we miss you very much，” wrote in a letter by the Middle School Attached to Sichuan University （No. 12 Middle School， Chengdu， Sichuan） to its sister school Lycée Jules Guesde Montpellier in April 2020， when the pandemic was rampant in France. Some students of No. 12 Middle School also shot a video to extend greetings in French to students and teachers of Lycée Jules Guesde Montpellier.

As early as in 2011， the two schools signed a friendly cooperation agreement， which marks the beginning of the exchanges of students and teachers between the two schools.

During their visit to No.12 Middle School in 2013， students and teachers from Lycée Jules Guesde Montpellier learned the Chinese courses. Teachers from No.12 Middle School also taught them to make sweet rice-flour dumplings， take part in Tai Chi， play the drums and make Chinese knots. Through these activities， they deeply felt the Chinese traditional culture.

In 2015， 17 students and teachers of No. 12 Middle School visited Montpellier. During the 8-day visit， they went to the local museums， experienced the French-style class at Lycée Jules Guesde Montpellier， and interacted with the leaders of Montpellier.

In March 2018， No. 12 Middle School saw a 12-day visit paid by students and teachers from Lycée Jules Guesde Montpellier. They learned Chinese calligraphy， kung fu， flower arrangement and paper cutting， as well as the human geography of Sichuan. They also left their footprints in famous scenic spots such as Chengdu Wuhou Shrine， Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding， Leshan Giant Buddha and Sanxingdui. Colorful activities deepened their understanding of Chinese culture and promoted in-depth exchanges of Chinese and French cultures.

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Besides frequent visits and exchanges， No. 12 Middle School has also launched Rabelais Class for French teaching since 2011. Education officials of the Embassy and General Consulate of France in China， head of Montpellier school district， and president of Lycée Jules Guesde Montpellier have visited No. 12 Middle School several times. They attend Rabelais Class and guided the school’s French teaching. Due to its outstanding achievements in French teaching， in 2015， No. 12 Middle School was jointly rated by the ministry of education of China and France as an exemplary school under the “French Class” project. It is also the first school characterized by Chinese-French educational and cultural exchanges at the national level in western China.

In 2012， Chengdu and Montpellier signed a framework agreement on educational exchanges and cooperation. The agreement contains the content of “encouraging more schools to launch the courses and activities in such areas as languages and cultures of both sides”. To further implement this agreement， nine primary and secondary schools in Chengdu have launched “Rabelais Class” and six counterparts in Montpellier have opened the “international Chinese class”.

On November 3， 2019， Pascal Krzyzanski， then Deputy Mayor of Montpellier， and his retinue walked into the French class of Class 3， Grade 1 at Chengdu Montpellier Primary School. Although the students have only been studying French for about two months， they are already able to greet the guests and introduce themselves in French.

In addition to the French class once a week and various related activities， students in the school are also given the opportunity to travel to Montpellier and other cities in France for experiencing French-style education and the local cultural customs every year. The frequent interactions and exchanges among students between the two countries contribute to their close friendship.

“Today， I met Mary’s grandfather in a bamboo forest. He is very kind and we kissed the cheek of each other.” “It’s time to leave Montpellier again. I don’t want to leave.” These words were left by students of Chengdu Montpellier Primary School. They reflect the friendship among students between the two countries.

The achievements of Chengdu Montpellier Primary School in facilitating cultural exchanges between China and France have been highly recognized by the governments of the two countries.

In 2016， the School won the special prize of “China-France Local Governments Cooperation Award” jointly issued by the ministry of foreign affairs of China and France. In that year， only eight units were awarded this honor in total. During the 6th High-Level Forum on China-France Local Governments Cooperation in 2018， the project of Chengdu Montpellier Primary School was included in the Memorandum of Mechanism for High-level People-to-People Exchanges between China and France as a cooperation result of local governments.

At Chengdu Primary School in Montpellier， Chinese slogans and Chinese-style decorations that can be seen all over the school warmed the hearts of the Chinese visitors. It also launched the “Silk Road Chinese Course” together with other primary and secondary schools in Montpellier. Teaching of the course is conducted based on a hand-painted map of the Silk Road. The route on the map starts from Venice of Italy， leads eastward to China’s Kashgar， Dunhuang， Xi’an and Suzhou， a city famous for silk， and ends at Beijing， capital of China. On the map， there are also various patterns like camels and silkworms， which represent the features of different places. Through information sharing about related cities， teachers help students to learn Chinese and better understand the history and culture of countries along the Silk Road.

At François Rabelais Primary School in Montpellier， a Silk Road themed game， which can help learn Chinese， is popular with the students. Based on the characteristics of different cities along the Silk Road， this game comprises different parts with various themes， including the treasure hunt， archaeology， navigation， etc. By integrating the historical and cultural knowledge of the ancient Silk Road， this game has greatly motivated the children to learn Chinese.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the sister city relations between Chengdu and Montpellier， the two cities decided to build Chengdu Montpellier Primary School and Chengdu Primary School in Montpellier respectively in 2011. As 10 years have passed， the path of exchanges between the two schools is increasingly broad. At present， Chinese teaching has been incorporated into the French national education system， and Montpellier has become the first city in France to achieve full coverage of Chinese courses from primary schools to high schools. There are about 400 primary and middle school students studying in the international Chinese class， and many other students have chosen Chinese as the second or third foreign language.

Besides basic education， Chengdu and Montpellier have also pioneered international cooperation in vocational education and higher education. In October 2007， Chengdu Health Bureau cooperated with the University of Montpellier， Faculty of Medicine， the oldest medical school in Europe， to create the first university diploma in Europe for traditional Chinese medical education. In September 2013， the Confucius Institute co-constructed by the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and the Montpellier 2 University was officially inaugurated. It is the first Confucius Institute co-built by two engineering universities of China and France. In addition， the two cities have regularly exchanged overseas students.  By the end of 2020， both parties have exchanged more than 60 students.

Medical operation：

Diversified cooperation after meeting of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine

In 2006， the Chengdu Municipal Public Health Delegation of six members went to France for a visit to the municipal government of Montpellier and the University of Montpellier， Faculty of Medicine. The two cities had consultation and exchanges on medical treatment， public health， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and other aspects， and signed a framework agreement for health cooperation. Since then， the cooperation between the two cities in the field of health care has been steered on a fast lane.

At the beginning of 2009， Zhao Yu， Associate Senior Doctor of TCM from Chengdu First People’s Hospital， boarded a flight to Montpellier. She worked at the Affiliated Hospital of the University of Montpellier， Faculty of Medicine for three months of medical exchanges， training the local TCM students and conducting outpatient treatment. During her stay， local patients came to Zhao Yu for acupuncture and moxibustion therapy. “To my surprise， traditional Chinese medicine is well received in Montpellier， and many of my patients are young people.” As Zhao Yu recalled， Jacques Duchamp， then Deputy Mayor of Montpellier， and Alain， the French Director of the TCM Exchange and Cooperation Project， all came to her for acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.

In January 2014， Chengdu Municipal Medical Administration signed a memorandum of cooperation on health care with the municipal government of Montpellier and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire （CHU Montpellier）. The two cities planned to establish “Chengdu-Montpellier Medical Research Center for Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease” in Chengdu with joint effort， pushing the medical cooperation and exchanges between the two cities to a new stage. In October of the same year， the research center was officially established.

Since then， focusing on these two key cooperation projects， Chengdu and Montpellier have frequently sent doctors to each other for long-term exchanges and study， and continuously deepened their medical exchanges and cooperation.

Since May 2015， Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital has dispatched the management team twice to the CHU Montpellier for short-term study.

From December 2015 to August 2016， Chengdu First People’s Hospital sent two persons to the CHU Montpellier for six-month further study.

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For the Alzheimer’s Disease Project in which Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital and Montpellier cooperate， Li Zheng， Attending Physician of Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital， visited Montpellier for exchanges and study in 2017 and 2018. “We mainly observed local experts’ diagnosis and treatment process， and sometimes participated in the discussion.” Li Zheng told the reporter that the two trips to France broadened his international vision. Afterwards， Li Zheng， together with his colleagues， participated many times in the top global Alzheimer conference — Alzheimer’s Association International Conference （AAIC）.

In October 2018， Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital held a bilateral exchange meeting with the CHU Montpellier. The two sides signed the Framework Agreement on Deep Cooperation of China-France Geriatric Diseases Institutes. Both parties had in-depth discussions on the projects such as the construction of cerebrospinal fluid laboratory， pursuing doctoral degrees in France and the multidisciplinary expansion cooperation， further deepening Chengdu-Montpellier cooperation in geriatric diseases.

Montpellier is a well-known medical city in France. CHU Montpellier has made helpful scientific attempts in the treatment and care for diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease， and has made major achievements in terms of islet cell transplantation， telemetry therapy of insulin pump and drug intervention therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.

Lan Fei and Yang Yanzhi， two physicians from Chengdu First People’s Hospital， applied the experience involving in vivo implanted insulin pumps to the use and management of in vitro insulin pumps domestically according to what they learned in the CHU Montpellier， bringing about good results.

Montpellier has also positively sent doctors to Chengdu for medical exchanges and study. On August 4， 2019， Lucille and Oriane， two first-year graduate students at the CHU Montpellier， ended their one-month clinical internship in Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital. During their study， the two French medical students witnessed the magic charm of TCM therapy and experienced it in person. Lucille could not help wondering the magic of TCM， while Oriane was very interested in traditional theories on channels and collaterals and some treatments such as “Dong’s acupuncture” and “balanced acupuncture”.

Curie Duchev， Vice President of  the Montpellier Hospital Managernent Center， said that China is the most important country in Montpellier’s foreign cooperation and Chengdu is the most important cooperative city. The results achieved through cooperation of both sides in the field of health care are admirable. It is their great expectation to have more diversified and deeper cooperation， so that the cooperation between the two parties will be raised to a new， higher level.

At present， although the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the projects related to medical cooperation between Chengdu and Montpellier， both parties still believe that “when the epidemic is over， cooperative exchanges will continue”.

Sports：

City of events meets capital of sports

On April 18， 2019， the football team from Chengdu Montpellier Primary School boarded a flight to France for their participation in the 53rd Montpellier International Youth Football Championship. The young players were looking forward to this trip.

In fact， it is not the first time for Chengdu to send youth football teams to chase after their dream for sports in Montpellier.

In March 2013 and April 2014， Chengdu sent the youth football teams to Montpellier for the 47th and 48th Montpellier International Youth Football Championships.

In April 2017， the football team of 15 members from Chengdu West China Middle School went to Montpellier for the 51st Montpellier International  Youth Football Championship. After eight matches， they finally won the 3rd place and the City Friendship Cup.

In the context of the continuous warming-up of Chengdu-French youth football exchanges， Chengdu Football Association has also sent players to Montpellier Football Club for exchanges and learning.

Chengdu is committed to building a world-famous sports city， and Montpellier is an internationally renowned sports capital. The common enthusiasm for sports enables the two cities to work together to develop the sports cause.

From October 31 to November 3， 2019， more than 300 athletes from all over the world gathered in Chengdu to participate in the 2019 FISE （Festival International des Sports Extrêmes） World Series （Chengdu）， demonstrating world-class competitions on bicycle motocross （hereinafter referred to as BMX）， skateboard， roller skating， street dancing and other extreme sports. Among them， as the Olympic Credit Competition for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games， BMX Freestyle Park World Cup is also the last round of Tokyo Olympic Credit Competition， so the competition site was the focus of public attention. On the final day （November 3）， it was sunny， and numerous spectators gathered together to watch how the players competed for the championship. The adventurous actions and dazzling skills demonstrated by the players kept the audience crazy. Screaming sounds  resounded throughout the match field.

This is the sixth competition of the FISE World Series held by Chengdu in succession. To host this internationally renowned competition， Chengdu cannot do without great support from its sister city Montpellier.

FISE was first held in Montpellier in 1997. As the second largest extreme sports competition in the world and the largest one in Europe， it has a 24-year history. With the increasingly close exchanges and cooperation between Chengdu and its sister city Montpellier， in order to further deepen the friendly exchanges between the two cities in the field of sports， Chengdu was invited by Montpellier to hold the first competition in 2014.

As BMX Freestyle， skateboard， rock climbing and surfing were listed to the 2020 Tokyo Olympuc Games， both the scale and international influence of the FISE World series held by Chengdu are improving. “An increasing number of athletes are participating in the Competition held in Chengdu， which also proves that Chengdu does very well in extreme and urban sports，” said Joseph Vilverayux， Director of Marketing and Communication， Hurricane Extreme Sports Co.， Ltd. （France）. He is responsible for the operation of the FISE competitions. According to the data， the number of on-site spectators in Chengdu increased from more than 100，000 in 2014 to more than 250，000 in 2019. The number concerning social media engagement exceeded 8.9 million person-time， and the number of international and domestic video views exceeded 12.5 million. The number of domestic and foreign athletes increased from 200 in 2014 to 527 in 2018， and the number of countries involved increased from 20 in 2014 to 38 in 2018.

Pascal Krzyzanski， Deputy Mayor of Montpellier， said that the fact that FISE World Series was held in Chengdu， not only enabled Chengdu’s extreme sports lovers to enjoy the competition to the full， but also facilitated deeper cooperation between Chengdu and Montpellier by virtue of extreme sports.

The FISE World Series was held in Chengdu， which strongly promoted Chengdu to build a world-class city famous for sports events， gradually made Chengdu elements a brilliant Chinese label in this worldwide sports event while the city is built into a culture creation center and an international exchange center in the western regions， and added a new unique overseas publicity channel for Chengdu.

The successful introduction of FISE also helps Chengdu discover and train more talented persons in the field of extreme sports. In December 2018， an extreme sports training college — FISE College， founded by Hurricane Group （France）， was introduced in Chengdu. Together with the first international-level comprehensive extreme sports venue constructed by Hurricane Group in Pidu District， Chengdu， the college is open to adolescents and sports lovers for training and competing activities involving freestyle BMX， street skateboarding， street roller skating， street scooter playing， etc.

Culture and tourism：

Colorful activities， colorful life

“Montpellier has a mild climate， with yearly lighting time up to 300 days. Unique urban construction， vitality and innovation， as well as diversified cultural exchanges make it the capital of French-style romantic life. Chengdu and even the whole southwestern regions of China constitute the important sources of our tourists.” At the Promotion Conference on Montpellier Mediterranean Regional Tourism and Wine held in Chengdu in September 2018， Mary Dominic Bellamy， then Deputy Director of Tourism Administration， the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole， made an introduction on local tourism resources and characteristic tourism routes to the tourism agencies present.

Montpellier， with characteristic of Roman-style architecture， ancient cultural heritage， Mediterranean customs and famous vineyards， attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world every year. Chengdu， as its sister city， is naturally on the focus of attention from Montpellier in the important tourism market.

In September 2013， Montpellier， together with Chengdu， held the event of Southern French Cultural Experience Day in Chengdu. At the site， local residents tasted wine and delicacies while enjoying the wonderful performances， and experienced the pure French style in all respects with the combination of visual， taste and hearing senses. At the end of the event， many local residents were satisfied and cheerful， and some even had an impulse to visit Montpellier.

On October 23， 2014， Chengdu held the “Montpellier Scenic Photography Exhibition”. Nearly one hundred photography works on Monpellier scenery show local residents rich tourism resources and beautiful cultural customs， building a bridge for enhancing the traditional friendship and promoting cultural exchanges and cooperation between two cities.

In November 2017， Montpellier and Chengdu jointly held the event of “Southern Montpellier Mediterranean Metropole Photographic Works Exhibition and French Gourmet Food Month”. The locals of Chengdu enjoyed the beautiful scenery in southern France at home and tasted a pure French dinner.

Chengdu has also attracted the attention from Montpellier citizens in various ways. In May 2016， Chengdu took the 20th anniversary of Montpellier FISE World Series as an opportunity to hold the “Montpellier-Chengdu Sister City Day”， and promoted Chengdu’s profile through various activities such as art performances， food tasting and interaction games， which aroused a warm response locally.

A number of Chengdu elements were carefully set up in Montpellier to increase the attention from Sichuan’s tourists： the famous “Chengdu Street”， “Chengdu Square”， a Sichuan cuisine restaurant with the mark of the giant panda and others have become popular places in Montpellier for the tourists from Sichuan.

The slow lifestyle as well as the optimistic and open character narrow the distance between two cultures and their peoples.

Many old local residents in Chengdu also remembered Montpellier “Friendship Well” which appeared at the intersection of Chunxi Road 16 years ago. This art work， known as “The Third Eye” （multimedia video player that realizes real-time communication through the remote video technology）， was placed on the most busy and lively streets of Chengdu and Montpellier. The residents in both cities can see the unique landscape of the other city when lifting the cover of the “Well”.

In June 2012， a rock band from Montpellier — “Le Comptoir des Fous”， which had had more than 100 world tour performances， held two concerts respectively in Eastern Music Park and Tianfu International Community in Chengdu， enriching the summer life of Chengdu citizens.

Artists from Montpellier have come to Chengdu many times for participating in “Chengdu International Sister Cities Youth Music Festival”. Many wonderful performances including nouveau music， poetry recitation and others have made Chengdu citizens feel the charm of French art culture.

As a bridge for cooperation and exchanges between the two cities — “Montpellier Family” in Chengdu has regularly held activities such as “Chinese-French Literature & Art Dialogue Salon”， “Red Wine Appraisal”， “Film Salon” and “Southern French Life Salon”， providing platforms for friendly exchanges between Chengdu citizens and French residents. Since the launch of the “journey of Chengdu’s Non-governmental Ambassador to Montpellier” in December 2008， “Montpellier Family” has also regularly arranged the travels to Montpellier for Chengdu’s residents for non-governmental friendly exchanges.