An ancient county that has witnessed true international friendship

Xinhua

Frenchman Bernard Frigara had not been able to visit China for some time. Nevertheless, his love for Chinese county Pingyao has endured, and he conveyed this sentiment in an e-mail to his Chinese friend.

"I just want to tell you how much I miss Pingyao, you and your family. I love so much to walk around, to ride a bicycle, and stand there..." the 75-year-old artist wrote in an e-mail to Chinese woman Wang Xiaojun in January.

Wang, 49, is the owner of an inn in Pingyao, a county in north China's Shanxi Province. This area has a history of 2,800 years and is renowned for its well-preserved urban landscape from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

Over the past two decades, Frigara has stayed at the inn six times, with each stay typically lasting for one or two months.

"He liked the old houses here, as well as the culture," Wang told Xinhua. "He always visited the woman doing paper-cutting, the man painting lacquer boxes, and the old man selling antiques."

According to her, Frigara had collected several Wadangs, or eaves tiles which are small accessories in classical Chinese architecture.

Wang and her family also showed the visitor around in the county, washed clothes for him and celebrated his birthday. Once, when Frigara had a stomachache, Wang took him to the provincial capital Taiyuan, which was about two hours' drive from Pingyao.

In return, Frigara taught Wang French and bought gifts for her children. Their friendship gradually deepened throughout the years.

Showing their photos to Xinhua reporters, Wang described her French friend as "frugal, kind and helpful." On the photos, Frigara was medium built, with gray curly hair.

Frigara also recorded his experience in Pingyao in his blog. For example, after his first visit in 2004, he wrote that he stayed in a wonderful hotel where he felt at home.

Frigara is just one of many French visitors to come to Pingyao. Local statistics showed that before the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Pingyao received more than 30,000 French visitors a year, accounting for 30 percent of the total number of foreign visitors.

"The French visitors believe that they have found ancient China in Pingyao," said Hou Shijun, an official of Pingyao County.

Wang Xiaojun started her inn in 2002, one year after Pingyao International Photography (PIP) Festival was launched and revitalized the old city.

Frenchwoman Michele Terminet Schuppon who used to study and work in China participated in the festival in 2013 and 2014.

In 2015, she had an exhibition in Provins of France, the sister city of Pingyao, to show the photos she took for the latter, before hosting another exhibition on Pingyao to introduce Provins. She also worked as an interpreter for exchanges between the pair.

"I am glad to be able to act as a bridge between the two places," she said.

Also frequenting between the two countries is Frigara. Each time he returned to France, he always left some clothes with Wang, telling her that he would wear them next time he returned. When they bid each other farewell, they said "see you next time," rather than "goodbye."

Although the COVID-19 pandemic stopped him from visiting Pingyao in the past several years, the French artist has maintained contact with his Chinese friend, while Wang's children always asked her when Bernard would come again.

Wang likes literature, and she recently wrote a prose about the story between Frigara and her family titled "Waiting for you, my friend."

"He plans to come to Pingyao again in the spring of 2024," Wang said. "Looking forward to our next meeting."