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Jean-Michel Jarre first rose to fame after releasing Oxygene in the late 1970s – Copyright AFP/File STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN
Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre is touring China this week as part of a cultural delegation accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron, who will begin his official visit in Beijing on Wednesday.
The first Western musician to give an official concert in China in 1981 after Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, Jarre’s visit this week helps highlight the cultural ties the two countries share.
Jarre, now 74, first came to fame in the late 1970s after releasing the groundbreaking album Oxygene, which had a decisive impact on the emerging synthesizer-based music genre at the time.
Since then, Maestro has built a long career performing large-scale performances around the world featuring dazzling laser displays and fireworks.
A French press release issued ahead of Macron’s visit focused largely on pressing global issues such as the war in Ukraine and deteriorating relations between China and the West, and the visit was intended to transform culture. It is also intended to celebrate.
“Cultural and artistic cooperation is the main axis of France-China relations,” the statement said.
Next year, which marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Beijing and Paris, “we need to concentrate on cultural tourism” between the two countries, he added.
Jarre made history with two concerts in Beijing and three in Shanghai in 1981, when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was just opening to the world after the brutal rule of Mao Zedong. rice field.
The French musician’s innovative electronic style was a curiosity in China at the time.
According to the musician’s official website, after the first concert was attended mostly by military personnel, Jarre handed out tickets to people on the streets in an attempt to let civilians in.
In 2019, Jal married Chinese actress Gong Li. Gong Li is the star of several films made in China that have gained international acclaim as well as Hollywood films.
Jarre’s visit to Beijing this week suggests cultural exchanges with China are back to normal
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