This book is suitable for readers engaged in news or teaching, as well as for ordinary readers.
introduce
This book is a collection of news works written by Zheng Yuanyuan, a reporter of People's Daily in France, after in-depth observation and reflection on all aspects of French social life and interviews with many news figures. The articles included in this book comment on French left and right political forces, France and its people's attitude towards globalization, Sino-French cultural exchanges, France's position and influence in the European continent, and the origin and relationship between France and the United States. Most of the articles in this book are news comments, which are combined with narration and discussion. The content is informative and the views are clear. Let ordinary readers know about the representative political life, economic activities, religious issues and immigration difficulties in France. Readers engaged in journalism or teaching can improve their professional knowledge; Scholars can get first-hand information.
Foreword Paris Time focuses on society, politics and diplomacy. The 60 articles collected reflect the ups and downs of French politicians at the turn of the century, the ecological state of ordinary people, and France's position in the great changes in Europe and the world.
I dealt with France, mainly in the era of Chirac. From 1995 to 2007, Chirac became the president of 12, and French politics in this period was deeply branded by Chirac. In May 2007, France elected a new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Chirac era came to an end. Most of the articles in this book were written during Chirac's presidency, which recorded my feelings about Chirac's era.
China people prefer Chirac to Mitterrand. Mitterrand became president on14 (1981-1995). During his tenure, France sold weapons to Taiwan Province Province, and Sino-French relations fell to freezing point. He himself lacks interest in China. Chirac visited China four times during his term of office and established a strategic partnership with China and France, which pushed Sino-French relations to a climax. Besides, he himself loves oriental culture.
When he was young, Chirac's style was "resolute and vigorous", nicknamed "excavator", which meant "uneducated". This kind of evaluation is actually unfair. When I was writing an article by China scholar Francois Cheng, I learned that Chirac always took a novel or a collection of poems with him when traveling. He finished reading Francois Cheng's works "The Language of China's Poetry" and "Imagination and Reality" during his trip, and personally wrote to greet him. When I was writing the article "Beautiful Dating Connecting the Soul", Sun, Minister of Culture, told me that Chirac had personally said to him: "I don't know if I know the history of China best among western leaders, but I can say for sure that I am the only western leader who works beside the bronze wares of Shang Dynasty under the smiling eyes of female guests in Song Dynasty, which is the source of my wisdom." At Chirac's initiative, UNESCO ratified the Convention on Cultural Diversity in 2005 after four years' work (see the article "France defends cultural diversity" in this book). In 2006, Jacques Chirac's "presidential project"-Gaby Langley Museum was completed. The original intention of building this museum is to introduce the ancient cultures and civilizations of continents outside Europe, broaden the horizons of Europeans and help establish the concept of respecting other cultures. In my opinion, Chirac has two great contributions that will go down in history. One is to advocate cultural diversity, and the other is to resist American pressure and oppose the war of invading Iraq launched by the United States.
We saw Chirac's posture and intonation on the TV screen were quite exaggerated, but when we came into contact with him, we felt that he was kind and easy-going. China people in Paris all like Chirac. I told business counselor benoit, the French embassy in China, how I felt about Chirac. He said that all French people think Chirac has affinity, and those who oppose him don't deny it. Why does he have such charm? Chirac's father is a banker with a rich family and an only child, but he is good at dealing with ordinary people. Benoit believes that this may be related to his growing environment. Chirac's hometown is in the central province of Correz, which maintains a strong rural customs and harmonious neighborhood relations. Gillespelle, a biographer of Chirac, wrote that in Chirac's family, "the living habits and traditions of his hometown of Kreze are still maintained", and "Chirac's family values friendship and homesickness as rural people do". Benoit also believes that "his hometown makes him friendly to others".
In 2002, Chirac became the big winner of the election. Fearing that Le Pen, the far-right candidate, would win, the voters voted for Chirac. On the night of his re-election, Chirac excitedly said to the voters, "I heard your voices." What voice did he hear, the voice of reform or the voice of persistence? What kind of sound will he listen to? In France, there are fierce opinions on whether to reform the social structure and policy system based on the nation-state established after the war (including the social security system based on high taxes). The confusion and contradiction encountered by France in the era of globalization have evolved into social conflicts and turmoil. Although Chirac is willing to reform, he can't make up his mind. He is afraid of losing balance and does not dare to shake the inherent social structure plate. Chirac's second term as president was not good. Major crises have occurred in France one after another, such as riots among immigrant youth in the suburbs of Paris, and the French referendum rejecting the EU Constitution. It has become a backward country in reform, and has resistance and fear to economic globalization.
After Chirac's curtain call, many people in China felt a little sad. The ambitious Sarkozy is very popular, and his government members are also in their prime. He declared that he wanted to carry out liberal reform, a "different France" and find its due place for France in Europe and the world. The people of China have a question for Sarkozy: Can he attach as much importance to relations with China as Chirac? White, Minister of the French Embassy in China, said at an international seminar held in Beijing recently that he got an unmistakable message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Sarkozy will not only inherit Chirac's China policy, but also innovate and develop. His presidency is worth looking forward to.
France is a democratic country with political pluralism. From the extreme left to the extreme right, the political spectrum is colorful and dazzling. However, after the elimination of the two presidential elections in 2002 and 2005, the small party has become increasingly marginalized, and France is moving towards two-party politics, while the other big party is the Socialist Party and now it is the opposition party. The socialist party has a long history, gathered a group of talents and had a proud Mitterrand era. In this presidential election, the Socialist Party put forward a female candidate, Royal. She won 47% of the votes for the first time, with a good record, although she is still proud of her failure. Does she have the ability to integrate the socialist party and become its hope for re-emergence? It's worth waiting.
The information dissemination in today's world is extremely uneven. The news of the United States spreads to the whole world instantly, which is far away, and the information coverage of European countries is much smaller. If this little book can deepen readers' understanding of France and benefit the balance of information dissemination, I will be gratified.
Postscript of Zheng Yuanyuan in Beijing on June 30, 2007
Two little books, Oh, Champs Elysé es and Paris Time, finally appeared. I am a person with very limited ability. I have collected more than 120 books, and I got a lot of help from writing to collecting. I have never regarded them as personal achievements. On the occasion of the publication of the two books, I would like to express my gratitude to my leading colleagues and relatives who supported me, helped me and encouraged me.
Fan Jingyi, former editor-in-chief of People's Daily, is busy prefacing this simplified book. His praise to me in the preface, I regard it as an encouragement and spur from a senior reporter to the latecomers. Cai Fangbai and Wu Jianmin, two ambassadors to France, were my direct leaders during my stay in France. They care about my work and give me timely and specific guidance. Yu Ning and Jiang Shaogao, deputy editors-in-chief of People's Daily, put forward many constructive opinions on the work of the International Department and encouraged me to write more articles. Huang Qing, the former director of the International Department, Wu Changsheng, the current director, and Liu Shuiming and Wen Xian, the deputy directors, encouraged reporters to discover topics and did not set any rules for writing. I wrote some interesting articles in a relaxed atmosphere. I would also like to thank Zhou Xiaoping, the former editor-in-chief of the Cultural Edition of Global Times, who persistently invited me to work overtime to finish some articles on cultural topics in this book.
My relatives have been unreservedly supporting my work, hoping that I can make a difference. My father Zheng Xinyong is an old newspaper reporter. When I was young, because of my poor family, I went to Thailand to make a living and embarked on the road of journalism.
It is the first time to cooperate with Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, but their good reputation has long been heard. Zhang Xiaomin, president and editor-in-chief, is a very professional publisher with a strong enterprising spirit. She is willing to publish my portfolio. Qin Zhihua, director of the editorial office, and Jin Ke, editor in charge, have done a lot of work in the process of editing this book, and they have spent a lot of effort just for the illustrations of this little book.
Without the care and support of relatives and friends, I could not have written hundreds of articles in newspapers in the field of international reporting for nearly 30 years, nor would I have these two short stories. I want to say "thank you" to all those who have helped me. On July 2, 2007, Zheng Yuanyuan was in Beijing.