The Alliance Fran?aise of Beijing celebrated its 20th anniversary with a French education seminar on Oct 19 and an evening of festivities at the Beijing Language and Culture University on Monday.

At the event were the ambassador of France to China, the ambassador of Tunisia to China, the ambassador of Algeria to China, and the cultural counselor of the French Embassy in China, among other distinguished guests.

Towards the end of the evening, four students from local primary schools and the Beijing Language and Culture University each received a 15,000 yuan ($2,160) scholarship, which was awarded by French President of Alliance Fran?aise Thierry Lasserre and his Chinese counterpart, Bao Yuehong.

In January 2018, the Ministry of Education of China included French as an elective language subject of China’s National College Entrance Examination, or gaokao. With the incorporation of French into the gaokao, the deepening cooperation between China and France, and the French-speaking countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, the demand for French learning may be higher in the future.

To provided financial support to students who may have financial difficulties, the Alliance Fran?aise of Beijing established a French-learning fund. Contributions from all sectors to the fund are welcomed, and will be matched by the alliance, said the French and Chinese presidents of the Alliance Fran?aise of Beijing.

"In recent years, French learners in China have shown an increasingly diverse learning purpose, ranging from interest in the French culture to career and academic advancement,"said Bao Yuehong, Chinese director of AF of Beijing. "French learning helps Chinese to navigate the French culture, but also enables the learners to better express themselves to other French-speaking cultures."C