The wife of the Chinese ambassador to France, Qian Wei, was
awarded Tuesday the French Literature and Art Commander Badge for
her dedication to promoting cultural exchanges between China and
France.
Qian received the medal from Senator and former Prime Minister
Jean-Pierre Raffarin at a special ceremony at the French Senate,
which was also attended by Qian's husband, Ambassador Zhao Jinjun,
and President of the Senate Christian Poncelet.
The Commander Badge is the highest of cultural awards, which
also include Officer and Chevalier badges.
"Diversity in culture" is advocated both in China and France and
recent years have witnessed intensified cultural exchanges between
the two countries, Raffarin said.
The former prime minister also praised the Year of Chinese
Culture in France and the Year of French Culture in China in 2004
and 2005 respectively, which he said have promoted friendship and
mutual understanding between the two peoples.
The French Literature and Art Badge was initiated by the French
Cultural Ministry in 1957 to mark special contributions in the
field of art and literature.
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(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2008)