Cultures collide in Yishu8 art center

She said the Chinese and the French share a lot of similarities, such as both groups are very good at enjoying life, and they both have a high appreciation for food, wines and entertainment.

"But we are still different, and I think it is necessary to bring those differences to the table and discuss them."

Cayol said Yishu8 will host an event called "Tea, Wine and Exhibition" in Beijing and Paris in the upcoming May. "Tea" represents China and "wine" represents France.

A few dozen artists, businessmen, musicians and politicians from both countries will participate in the event and sit together to talk about the culture differences between them.

One of the rooms in Yishu8 is painted yellow, and the other one is painted red in order to highlight the theme of the event.

"Metaphors are everywhere in our center. In this case, yellow is the color of Chinese tea and reddish is what French wine looks like," Cayol said.

As a philosophy professor, Cayol continued her academic career after she moved to Beijing.

She switched her focus to cultural communication in recent years.

"I am fascinated with Chinese philosophies and always wondered how they are different from French philosophies," she said.

Cayol is now working on an essay that mainly discusses the concept of time in two cultures.

"For the past few years, I always stay at home to work on academic issues in the mornings, and I only go to Yishu8 to help out during the afternoons," she said.

Cayol said she is confident with the future development of Yishu8, and will host more salons and exhibitions in the next year.

"I will keep helping Chinese and French artists to get to know more about each other," she said.