French jazz trio strengthening connection built by former leader Deng Xiaoping

Poster of the InitiativeS tour in China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Jean-Christophe Cholet, a jazz musician from France, found a subtle connection between France's Region Centre-Val De Loire and Central China's Hunan province.

"Montargis in Val De Loire and Jishou in Hunan have been doing a music exchange program for several years. This goes back to China's former leader Deng Xiaoping," says Cholet.

Deng Xiaoping spent two years studying and working in France. Cholet says that as a continuation of the two regions' friendship build by Deng Xiaoping, people at Montargis are hosting such exchange programs to further strengthen it.

Cholet's new trio with Gildas Boclé and Quentin Cholet plans on mixing the two cultures when they travel to Hunan province next week to collect local music in Jishou city.

"We will be collecting local music in Jishou from the Miao minority and Tujia minority, like the melody they made from leaves or some local instruments, and we will have an improvisation concert with four local musicians at Jishou University. Next year, they will come to perform in France. It's really exciting."