Designer finds inspiration in French and Chinese cultures

When Matthieu Rochette-Schneider came to China from Saint-Étienne, France, a decade ago, he didn't realize that one day he would become an ambassador and a double bridge of two brilliant cultures.

As the general manager of centdegrés Greater China, Schneider and his team from all over the world have presented creative and artistic product designs for an array of fashionable brands.

Just like the artists and architects he likes, Schneider has found inspiration from Chinese culture during his work and life in Shanghai in the past 10 years.

Under his leitmotiv "created in China" with a French touch, Schneider's team has created Sephora's China Red collection. This offered a visually stunning bottle design for the perfume brand To Summer, and engaged in the brand development of herbal skin care brand Herborist.

All these successful design cases celebrate the diversity and versatility of Chinese culture through multiple elements from TCM, ancient philosophy and time-honored folk traditions.

Schneider has shared their secret to success.

"It's to be always interested and curious about Chinese culture every day and every minute, to have a mixed team to create this mixed work atmosphere, and to become an ambassador of both French and Chinese cultures," he said.

A graduate of both l'Ecole Nationale d'Architecture de Saint-Étienne and l'École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville, Schneider has been since working for the creative agency centdegrés.

The 30-something talented architect and designer is also a board member at the French Chamber of Commerce and co-president of the Young French speaking entrepreneur association in China.

Meanwhile, he is vice dean of the first Sino-French institute of design in China — NACAA, a joint effort of l'École de design Nantes Atlantique and China Academy of Art.

The year 2024 is so important in Schneider's eyes that they created a tag line for their company: 2024 is a chance for us.

The word "chance" is also a combination of the words China and France.

He noted that 2024 is special, not only because it is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China, but also the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.

And it's the Olympic Games in Paris.

"For many reasons, the 2024 is absolutely unique and magic," Schneider added.

"No countries have this kind of opportunities together. So every project we're making now are related to this point and based on the principle of coming to China, being interested and curious about China."

Schneider finds it so interesting that everybody in his team and his clients told him that he is so Chinese. Without experiencing any culture shock in China, he is also trying to understand why he feels so comfortable in China.

As a huge fan of "Star Wars," he recalls that the film's director George Lucas used to explain he got a lot of inspiration from traditional oriental stories and legends. Many artists and architects he respects were also largely inspired by their travels to China.

France and China have a great and deep connection and share many things in common, in his opinion.

"Both French and Chinese people have a deep pride about their own culture," Schneider said.

"This is very unique. The culture and history in China and France is everywhere, in what you're eating and drinking. For example, if you drink wine in France, this wine is related to a place and its rich history. In China, it's exactly the same."

He also mentioned the rich food culture and traditions in the two countries.

"France and China are the only two places in the world where you talk about food when you're eating," he added with a laugh. "During your eating, you're talking about the food in front of you and the food you ate yesterday."

After working and living in Shanghai for around 10 years, the beauty of the city still amazes him.

Schneider thinks that Shanghai has a lot of common points with Paris. Both cities have their own beauty and a mixed style. In Shanghai, people can see both traditional architecture like the shikumen (stone-gate) alleys and bright and modern buildings. The deep mix is very interesting to him.

What he likes the most to do in Shanghai is to take a taxi around the city and look at the city, especially in the evening.

Shanghai in the evening is absolutely magical, and he would like so much to make a movie about the night landscapes in the city.

In addition to diverse architecture styles in China, Schneider is also very interested in Chinese characters. The Chinese writing language that includes many hieroglyphs is quite different from French.

He also played a small role in Wong Kar-wai's popular TV drama directorial debut "Blossoms Shanghai." The urban series captures the beauty and distinctive charm of Shanghai.

He recalled that during the night of the shooting, director Wong wanted the floor of the street all wet to depict an artistic and poetic reflection of the city on the street.

"It was extremely fun, and the way Wong worked is very unique," Schneider said. "Wong is a great artist."

In 2024, a year full of opportunities and hope for the two countries, Schneider wants to invite and push people to use this occasion to create projects and make great stuff.

"My biggest advice to French companies is that don't look at China from far away, they have to come and experience in China," he added.

In the new year, he will continue to promote education, creation and cultural exchange between France and China.

They have many more projects to come in 2024 because for him education and culture is the key to development and the future of people and the young generation.

"It makes me so proud that the place where I come from and the place where I'm living have such a good relationship," Schneider said.

"The world is also watching how the two countries with long histories and brilliant cultures could work together and share to the people."