The "China-France Beautiful Countryside Journey" event was stagedin the town of Pernes les Fontaines in southern France on local time Dec 17, aiming to promote exchanges and mutual understanding among the people of both countries.

As night fell, around 200 locals gathered to watch a spectacular performance by the Chinese Fujian performance troupe.

Highlights included the Notre-Dame de Paris puppet show, a blend of martial arts and acrobatics in a Dacheng Opera, a tea-picking dance depicting Chinese tea culture in a Min Opera and a Gaojia Opera adaptation of French playwright Molière's five-act comedy The Miser.

"Tonight's performance was truly impressive, very different from our French theatrical forms," said a member of the audience, called Marina.

The fusion of French classics with Chinese traditional forms, like the performances of the Notre-Dame de Paris and The Miser, were said to be well-received for seamlessly blending creative styles, in an effective cultural experiment.

Amid the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, the event, co-hosted by the China Opera Research Society, the Fujian Vocational College of Art and the French Belt and Road Beautiful Countryside Alliance, showcased Fujian village dramas and tea culture dances in Pernes les Fontaines, Loumarin, Gordes and Avignon in southern France.