(Photo: The mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppé arranged a reception at the city hall, to welcome the Chinese production crew./Li Yongqun)
As the People's Republic of China celebrated its 69th anniversary, Chinese students in Bordeaux gathered at the Place de la Bordeaux, singing popular Chinese songs like the Descendants of the Dragon and Blue and White Porcelain to express their best wishes for the homeland. The student chorus not only won a round of applause from the local people, but as soon as their video uploaded online, it went viral. Sharp-eyed netizens spotted two actors in the student chorus, Wu Haochen and Dai Yunfan, both from the Le crocodile et le pluvian. Their heartfelt performance has impressed the public.
The two actors said their filming in France was coming to an end, and after working for some time in a foreign country, they resonated with the students, so they can’t help but join the chorus. Positioned as an inspiring TV drama for the youth, Le crocodile et le pluvian also aims to encourage patriotism in an artistic way, Wu and Dai added, and they hope to remind the Chinese audience through the show to remain true to their original aspiration for their home country, and to remain always the same wherever they are.
(Photo: The two actors joining the chorus with the Chineses students at the Place de la Bordeaux./Li Yongqun)
It is known that the Le crocodile et le pluvian is by far the largest film production crew Bordeaux has ever received. The Bordeaux government has thus attached great importance to the visit. Ex-prime minister and mayor of Bordeaux Alain Juppé arranged a welcome reception at the city hall, and extended his warmest welcome to the Chinese production crew. The crew also captured French media attention. They said this visit not only shows China's growing cultural confidence on the international stage, but also pioneers East-West cultural exchanges.
Directed by Lin Yan, produced by Mango TV and Shanghai Land Entertainment, and executive produced by Teng Huatao, the TV series tells the story of a group of Chinese students studying in France and coming home to start their own business. To show the audience an inside look into the lives of overseas students and an opportunity to experience the one-of-a-kind European culture of Bordeaux, the production crew went all the way to Bordeaux to film the show.
