"Festival Croisements", the biggest French cultural event in the world, kicked off on April 11 at the National Museum of China. [Photo/people.cn]

All the world's a stage

Reality music show of professional singers

These masterpeices come from different periods of history, including some of the most exciting chapters of the French art, such as Impressionism. The inherent power of these works, the things they represent and the emotions they arouse, all serve to embody a certian idea of France.

From patrons of the arts like Francois I and Louis XIV, to works by Cubism pioneer Pablo Picasso, the paintings trace important eras and artistic movements in France, from the Renaissance until after World War Two.

One of the centrepieces is Renoir's Dance at le Moulin de la Galette from the Orsay Museum, an emblem of Impressionism painting.

"We've chosen this piece of Renoir because with his tableaux eulogizing Parisian life, he really captures the gallant and celebratory atmosphere of Paris at that time. And the way he plays with light and shadow in his painting was totally new. Also notable is that the Orsay Museum, which houses this work, was actually transformed from a train station. So here visitors can learn a lot of interesting things about both the painting and the museum where it comes from," said Come Fabre, curator of Musee D'Orsay.