This year's Croisements festival will be held from May to July. Highlights include the exhibition From Monet to Soulages: Paths of Modern Western Painting (1805-1975), the dance production Seeds, the theater play 2666 and the recital performances by French actress Isabelle Huppert. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The play has a complicated structure－its five parts are disconnected and each part is composed of fragmented stories," Zhang says.

"I was impressed by the director's ability to reconnect the elements in a rhythmic way, with the support of powerful music and videos. I didn't feel tired even after watching it for hours."

This year, the Croisements program also highlights the cooperation between French and Chinese artists for the revitalization of traditional cultures. Performers from the French music group Doulce Memoire and the Hunan Puppet and Shadow Art Protection and Inheritance Center will jointly present What Do Pandas Dream About, a musical that addresses environmental issues. It blends Chinese puppet theater tradition with Western Renaissance music, and will be performed in Changsha, Wuhan and Yichang.

The festival will involve many female artists. The French ambassador to China, Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, says that is a reflection of France's "ongoing efforts to improve gender equality in the arts".