Events during the monthlong celebration will take place across China with support from diplomatic missions representing several French-speaking countries.

Lectures and roundtable discussions will explore topics including artificial intelligence, linguistics and digital technology, using French as the language of dialogue.

The program will also include film screenings, concerts and theater productions, among them a nationwide tour of a Chinese-French stage adaptation of The Little Prince.

French-language literature will also be a focus. The Choix Goncourt de la Chine will be held alongside a nationwide tour by Francophone writers. Among those expected to participate are Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, a member of the Academie Goncourt, and the French-Iranian author Maryam Madjidi. They will meet readers and hold discussions with high school and university students.

Exhibitions and other locally organized cultural programs will also be staged in cities around China, bringing elements of Francophone culture to audiences far beyond the capital.

Bai Shuhao contributed to this story.