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Keeping a modern French connection
By David Maguire |
April 5, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Franck Serrano's interest in China was stimulated by his studies at university in Bordeaux of 17th century German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, perhaps the first European intellectual to begin understanding China.
"At the end of the 1990s, I was young with a lot of curiosity for this country," the young Frenchman said this week. "I had read a few Chinese philosophers and quite a lot of classical literature and I said I have no image of this country so I want to go there."
He arrived in 1999 and stayed, learning the language, absorbing the culture and marrying a Shanghainese.
After 10 years his wheel has turned and Serrano has an integral role in helping to showcase his nation's attributes to China and the anticipated 70 million visitors to World Expo 2010.
Serrano, aged 34 and born in a famous town in southwest France, is presiding over preparations for his country's "Sensual City," a 6,000-square-meter pavilion on the banks of the Huangpu River.
The building will be impressive in itself with a large, classical French vertical garden and pool, the square structure's walls covered by plants and giving an illusion that it's all floating on water. Inside there will be other lures into this French mini world.
Heartthrob actor Alain Delon, an Expo ambassador for France, will be roaming around the pavilion, a French mayor will be on hand to conduct wedding ceremonies, and two restaurants will offer the best of its cuisine.
Serrano is the lead man in Shanghai as director of marketing and communication for the company, Cofres, in charge of France's Expo participation. He has a firm fix on his country's past and present role in this city where it's cultural influences are strong.
When you go down to the city's old residential areas, you see so many buildings like the famous lilong and the shikumen lane houses, he said.
"The French people made their money in Shanghai when they started to develop this new model of construction.
"So yes, when you walk the city it was kind of shaped by us. But I think we are fortunate to be living in another world. Parts of Shanghai probably first looked like a small town in France, with all its vanity and so-called important people.
"Now it's a Chinese driven megalopolis and it's much more interesting."
Serrano said France was the first country to support the candidature of Shanghai for Expo so the links and friendship between the countries are strong.
"Supporting Expo is supporting China and we're bringing in the best of France for people to see and experience," he said. "Plus we're offering to donate our 50-million-euro (US$66.4 million) unique Expo building to the nation.
"They're getting more curious in France about Shanghai following the Olympics, and China will take Expo to another level completely, with more than 200 participant countries and with a surface built beyond anything you can imagine.
"People are very aware of that in France and I think there will be a lot of curiosity and excitement closer to the event," he said.
Serrano is particularly proud of the masterpieces of art that will be loaned to the French exhibition for the life of the event, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris sending a clutch of works by Cezanne, Manet, Millet, Rodin and Van Gogh, among others.
"This has never been done before," he said.
"It means that out of the 10 best masterpieces of this great museum, seven will be in China for six months. They've never left the country for so long."
But with a little over 12 months before opening, there's a lot of work to be done on-site.
"This is not a modular construction like some of the others. We're putting up a completely innovative, substantial building in fiber reinforced concrete with an exhibition space and gardens.
"We were the first country after China to get a construction permit, and we're happy to have started on schedule. We're very confident with the local construction company we have chosen, the architects are here permanently and it's going well," he said.
"But it's a race - 6,000 square meters in a few months."
Having been born in Lourdes, Serrano has probably heard a thing or two enough about extraordinary results to take it all in his stride.
"At the end of the 1990s, I was young with a lot of curiosity for this country," the young Frenchman said this week. "I had read a few Chinese philosophers and quite a lot of classical literature and I said I have no image of this country so I want to go there."
He arrived in 1999 and stayed, learning the language, absorbing the culture and marrying a Shanghainese.
After 10 years his wheel has turned and Serrano has an integral role in helping to showcase his nation's attributes to China and the anticipated 70 million visitors to World Expo 2010.
Serrano, aged 34 and born in a famous town in southwest France, is presiding over preparations for his country's "Sensual City," a 6,000-square-meter pavilion on the banks of the Huangpu River.
The building will be impressive in itself with a large, classical French vertical garden and pool, the square structure's walls covered by plants and giving an illusion that it's all floating on water. Inside there will be other lures into this French mini world.
Heartthrob actor Alain Delon, an Expo ambassador for France, will be roaming around the pavilion, a French mayor will be on hand to conduct wedding ceremonies, and two restaurants will offer the best of its cuisine.
Serrano is the lead man in Shanghai as director of marketing and communication for the company, Cofres, in charge of France's Expo participation. He has a firm fix on his country's past and present role in this city where it's cultural influences are strong.
When you go down to the city's old residential areas, you see so many buildings like the famous lilong and the shikumen lane houses, he said.
"The French people made their money in Shanghai when they started to develop this new model of construction.
"So yes, when you walk the city it was kind of shaped by us. But I think we are fortunate to be living in another world. Parts of Shanghai probably first looked like a small town in France, with all its vanity and so-called important people.
"Now it's a Chinese driven megalopolis and it's much more interesting."
Serrano said France was the first country to support the candidature of Shanghai for Expo so the links and friendship between the countries are strong.
"Supporting Expo is supporting China and we're bringing in the best of France for people to see and experience," he said. "Plus we're offering to donate our 50-million-euro (US$66.4 million) unique Expo building to the nation.
"They're getting more curious in France about Shanghai following the Olympics, and China will take Expo to another level completely, with more than 200 participant countries and with a surface built beyond anything you can imagine.
"People are very aware of that in France and I think there will be a lot of curiosity and excitement closer to the event," he said.
Serrano is particularly proud of the masterpieces of art that will be loaned to the French exhibition for the life of the event, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris sending a clutch of works by Cezanne, Manet, Millet, Rodin and Van Gogh, among others.
"This has never been done before," he said.
"It means that out of the 10 best masterpieces of this great museum, seven will be in China for six months. They've never left the country for so long."
But with a little over 12 months before opening, there's a lot of work to be done on-site.
"This is not a modular construction like some of the others. We're putting up a completely innovative, substantial building in fiber reinforced concrete with an exhibition space and gardens.
"We were the first country after China to get a construction permit, and we're happy to have started on schedule. We're very confident with the local construction company we have chosen, the architects are here permanently and it's going well," he said.
"But it's a race - 6,000 square meters in a few months."
Having been born in Lourdes, Serrano has probably heard a thing or two enough about extraordinary results to take it all in his stride.
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