✨ Peng Liyuan, wife of the Chinese premier Xi Jinping, made a significant impact in Paris by highlighting the crucial role of women's education and cultural exchanges. 🇫🇷📚
Empowering Women Through Education
During her visit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters on May 6, Peng emphasized that promoting girls' and women's education is key to social progress and a shared future for humanity. She briefed UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on the achievements of China's Spring Bud Project, a nationwide initiative aimed at helping dropout girls return to school and improving teaching conditions in impoverished areas.
The Spring Bud Project has raised funds totaling 2.91 billion yuan ($403 million) and provided 4.09 million services to girls across the country by the end of 2022. Peng, who has visited numerous schools globally over the past decade as UNESCO's special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, expressed joy in seeing more women achieving better lives through education.
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum, China ranked first among 146 countries in tertiary education enrollment with a perfect score of 1.00, indicating no gender gap. Peng affirmed China's commitment to collaborating with UNESCO to boost global investment in girls' and women's education, ensuring equal access to education rights, and building a better future together.
Promoting Cultural Exchanges
In addition to her educational advocacy, Peng visited the Orsay Museum, where she admired classic Impressionist masterpieces by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and other renowned artists. 🎨🖼️
She noted the shared passion for painting between Chinese and French people and expressed her hope for increased cultural exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and appreciation of each other's cultures.
With 2024 marking the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, both sides are hosting a series of cultural events covering performing arts, visual arts, cultural heritage, and tourism promotion, further strengthening the bonds between the two nations.
