Beijing played host to French acts last Friday night for the Mars en Folie Festival, aka the Crazy March Festival, one of the most exciting shows in the Chinese capital. French folk and guests crowded Omni Space with laughter, chat and of course, music from the Francophone world. 

Four distinctive names from the electro, pop, rock and rap scenes ignited the crowd: Suzane from France, Stevans from Switzerland, Cherry Chérie from Quebec, Canada and Témé Tan from Belgium. 

These young artists, who have been on a 40-concert tour since March 14, were surprised by the enthusiastic response of the Chinese public and are eager to get acquainted with the country. 

Stevans introduced band members to CGTN and described their style as "rock'n'roll spirit with electro songs." 

Suzane told CGTN that her stage moves were inspired by the Chinese kung fu star Bruce Lee. "I saw Bruce Lee when I was very young and I think his combat movement is like that of a dancer," she said. "It is so elegant and so I try to incorporate that into my stage moves. During our tour in China, I like to invite the audience to join me and dance, and the vibe was really great." 

The 12th edition of Mars en Folie was co-presented by the Alliance Francaise Network and the embassies of Canada, France, Switzerland and Belgium. The aim is to introduce a wide variety of French music styles to audiences in China.

Thierry Lasserre, general delegate of Alliance Francaise, said, "I'm a big fan of the 'New Scene' of what we called 'La Nouvelle Scene', so all the singers (are) with very strong lyrics, so very interesting music that can be very different. I'm not a big fan of rap, but what they do with slam and with rap is extremely interesting. The main purpose is to bring people to the art whatever they support. So do whatever you like and bring it to your world."

Mars en Folie will be celebrated next in Tianjin, Nanjing, Jinan, Chengdu and Shanghai.