China and France maintain close cultural and tourism ties, sharing rich cultural traditions and artistic achievements. 

A total of 27,479 Chinese students studied in France during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the EIC Education Group's Report on Studying in France. The number was a 2-percent drop from the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the figure has remained steady in recent years.

Over the past five years, 80 percent of Chinese students studying in France applied for master's programs, while 67 percent applied for business schools. Applications for comprehensive public schools and art academies accounted for 17 percent and 8 percent, respectively, according to data from the report.

2024 – labelled the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism – marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France.

At its peak in 2019, the number of Chinese tourists to France was a record 2.2 million, generating 3.5 billion euros ($3.76 billion) in revenue for France. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers are down to only one-third of what they once were.

Under the new visa-free policy, with a trial period from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia are able to enjoy visa-free travels to China for up to 15 days.

Hundreds of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and France will be held in 2024 during the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China said.  

A series of activities covering performing arts, visual arts, cultural heritage and tourism promotion, among others, will be held, including an opening concert, a tourism promotion event, and an exhibition featuring China's Forbidden City and France's Palace of Versailles.

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