On April 25, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former prime minister of France, representing the French government, awarded Xu Bo, chairman of "Friends of Wu Jianmin" association, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Orders of Arts and Letters) at the Centre d'Art Rodin in Shanghai.

Since its inception in 1957, this award has been presented to recognize eminent artists, writers, and people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields.

The award is given at three levels: Commander, Officer, and Knight. Currently, over 60 Chinese individuals have received this honor, with around 10 given the Commander honor, including renowned directors Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Wong Kar-wai, and Xu, being the latest.

This honor not only acknowledges Xu's decades-long efforts in promoting cultural exchanges between China and France, but also demonstrates the increasingly close cultural ties between the two countries more than 60 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations.

During the ceremony, Raffarin described Xu as an architect and artist who constantly makes efforts to promote the friendship between China and France.

According to Raffarin, amid the tumultuous international landscape, Xu approaches Sino-French relations through the lenses of culture, education, and historical context.

"This recognition doesn't belong to myself, but all facilitators dedicated to the Sino-French cultural exchanges and humanistic collaborations," said Xu.

"Safeguarding the diversity of global cultures and fostering understanding and cooperation among people from different cultural backgrounds are the historical missions of all cultural facilitators," he added.

Fifteen years ago, actress Gong Li received the same award from Hervé Ladsous, former French ambassador to China, at the same location, then the French Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo.

Li Junfeng contributed to this story.