A press conference was held in Beijing on Tuesday marking the release of a series of five documentary videos co-produced by China and France. The event came just ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's highly anticipated state visit to China this week.

Shen Haixiong, president of China Media Group (CMG), delivered a keynote speech and jointly released the documentaries with Chinese and French guests.

The five videos are titled: "The Golden Monkeys: Brave the Impossible," "Beyond the Far Side: The Dawn of the Space Revolution," "The Magical Fungi World," "Peking Man: The Last Secrets of Humankind" and "Panda Lunar."

They seemingly focus on Chinese topics and themes but also highlight the power of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations, as well as the fruits of media cooperation between China and France.

Shen said in his speech that 2024 is set to be another milestone year. It not only marks the 60th year since China and France established diplomatic ties, but Paris will also host the Summer Olympics for the third time, a full century after it last did so in 1924.

CMG is willing to deepen its cooperation with French media outlets, produce more excellent documentaries and video works, and promote further cultural exchanges between the two sides, he added.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay congratulated all involved for producing and releasing "Peking Man: The Last Secrets of Humankind," saying the work sheds a completely new light on human history and evolution.

"Beyond the Far Side: The Dawn of the Space Revolution" tells the story of China's aerospace industry and the country's lunar exploration project, while also explaining the cooperation between China and France in the field of international aerospace.

"The Golden Monkeys: Brave the Impossible" also serves as the second episode in a separate documentary series called "Wild Empire." The production team collaborated with the world's top wildlife filming team to record two families of golden monkeys and their struggles to survive and reproduce in Shennongjia in central China's Hubei Province.

Among the five documentaries, "Beyond the Far Side: The Dawn of the Space Revolution" and "The Golden Monkeys: Brave the Impossible" are scheduled to premiere on April 5 and April 6, respectively, on CMG's Documentary Channel (CCTV-9). They will subsequently be broadcast on major television stations in France, Germany, Italy, and Japan at the same time.