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在中国悠久的历史中，龙，以其独特而神秘的形象，在传统文化中扮演着至关重要的角色。《本草纲目》中曾有记载：“龙有九似：头似驼、角似鹿、眼似兔、耳似牛、项似蛇、腹似蜃、鳞似鲤、爪似鹰、掌似虎。”可见，龙的形象集合了众多动物的优势特征，承载了中国古代人们对力量、智慧和美好的极致追求。
In the long history of China, dragon, with its unique and mysterious image, plays a vital role in traditional Chinese culture. Its image has been recorded in ancient books to have nine features: the head of a camel, the horns of a stag, the eyes of a rabbit, the ears of a cow, the neck of a snake, the belly of a giant clam, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle and the paws of a tiger. So, dragon, whose image combines the prominent features of many animals, bears the ultimate pursuit of strength, wisdom and beauty by ancient Chinese people.
今年，正是十二生肖中的龙年，也是中法共庆两国建交60周年。两国纷纷举办多种文化活动，促进交流互鉴。
The lunar year is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. The year 2024 also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. The two countries have held various cultural activities to promote exchanges and mutual learning.
法国艺术家格温德琳·菲纳·德维莱纳以“中国龙”和中国折纸艺术为灵感创作了雕塑《龙的旅程》，而其配色和翘起的翅翼则呈现出法国底蕴。
French artist Gwendoline Finaz de Villaine has created a sculpturenamed“Le Voyage Du Dragon”, which was inspired by the image of Chinese dragon and Chinese origami art and features French style in its color scheme and design of upturned wings.
从融合到理解，中法两国也在以龙文化为契机相知相亲，逐渐更加了解彼此。为迎接龙年，法国的油画遇上了中国的木版年画，中法艺术家同题而作，分别创作了以“盘龙”为主题的作品。法国艺术家让-弗朗索瓦·拉赫优称，西方的龙大多会带有凶恶的特征，因此为了更好地呈现中国人民心目中的龙，他在创作过程中查阅了大量的资料去了解中国文化。正因如此，这幅油画能够更加贴近中国传统的审美风格，比如盘旋的造型，和大红为主的配色，每一笔都充斥着中国味道。
The dragon culture has developed from cross-culture integration to understanding, as China and France are taking it as a medium to deepen mutual understanding and appreciation. To welcome the Year of the Dragon, the arts of French oil paintings and Chinese wood-block New Year paintings joined hands, with Chinese and French artists creating works under the same theme of circling dragon respectively. French artist Jean Frangois Larrieu said that the images of most dragons in the West have vicious characteristics. So in order to better present dragons in the minds of Chinese people, he consulted a lot of materials to understand Chinese culture during the creation. As a result, this oil painting is closer to the traditional Chinese aesthetic style, such as the dragon’s circling image or the color scheme featuring much bright red. The works’ strokes are rich in Chinese cultural elements.
从理解到共鸣，龙文化也点亮了法国巴黎和中国上海，两地遥相呼应，共赏豫园灯会。在灯会中，群鱼与游龙的造型频频展现，美丽而壮观。这是因为，中国传统文化中有一个典故，叫做“鲤鱼跃龙门”——传说鲤鱼跳过龙门便会腾龙飞升，代表奋发向上、取得成功。
Cross-cultural resonance is enhanced thanks to increased cross-cultural understanding. The dragon culture also lights up Paris and Shanghai, where the two metropolises echo each other by enjoying the lantern fair in Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden. In the lantern fair, one can see a lot of lanterns in the shape of swimming fishes and flying dragons, which make a beautiful and spectacular scene. This is because there is an allusion in traditional Chinese culture called “carp leaping over the dragon gate.” Legend has it that a carp jumping over the dragon gate will be transformed into a flying dragon, which means striving for progress and achieving success.
如今，豫园灯火的鱼龙盛景展现于两国人民眼前。相信在未来，“中国龙”作为传统文化的重要象征，将为中法两国的文化交流带来更多可能性，中国龙与高卢雄鸡也将续写新的友谊篇章。
Now the magnificent scene of fish and dragon lanterns in Yuyuan Garden is presented to people of the two countries. Chinese dragon, as an important symbol of traditional culture, is believed to bring more possibilities for cultural exchanges between China and France. The two countries, represented by Chinese dragon and Gallic rooster, will continue to write new chapters of friendship.
