Being able to convey the nuances of each culture constitutes the true meaning of cultural exchanges. 

Interpreter, talk show performer, presenter, and art dealer. Li Song, born in the 1980s in Shanghai, wears many hats. Whether on the stage, television set, or at a Sino-French activity, most likely, this dynamic man will be there.

According to Li, this ability to take part in such diverse activities is the result of his unique experience of learning French. “Learning a foreign language is in fact the best way to better understand one’s mother tongue,” said Li, “The more we learn, the more we realize how much we do not understand our own culture. This feeling pushes me to continue exploring, sharing new ideas, and creating better intercultural communication.”

Li Song takes a group photo with the audience at his talk show in Vannes, France, in January 2020.

Immersive Learning

Li often describes his love for French by saying, “The French language is my life!” He acquired this passion by chance.

Back in 2000 when Li was deciding on which universities he wanted to apply, he heeded his teacher’s advice and chose a university where he could pursue a major in French — Ocean University of Qingdao (now known as Ocean University of China). “At that time, the French department of the university had just been established. From the beginning of our first semester, we began attending classes taught by a French professor, thus immersing ourselves in a purely francophone environment.” While some students found this challenging, Li flourished, actively engaging with the French professor in class and conversing with French people outside of class as much as he could.

According to Li, the art of mastering a language is knowing how to listen and then be bold to speak that out, absorbing up everything you hear like a sponge and then repeating it. At that time, the few French people who lived in Qingdao, Shandong Province in east China, often gathered together in a local bar, and he quickly became a regular visitor there after he learned about it. By frequently conversing with several French friends, he discovered French culture for himself and acquired a plethora of linguistic expressions that he would never have learned from a textbook.

This “immersive” learning experience enabled him to acquire fluency in the French language in a very short period of time. During his third year of undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to study at the University of Western Brittany in Brest, France, as part of a foreign studies exchange program between universities.

During his stay in France, in addition to attending classes at the university, he traveled across the country, enjoyed culinary delights, and enriched his understanding of French culture through watching theater and cinema. It was during that year that Li’s desire to contribute to the cultural exchanges between France and China was born.

Upon his return to China, Li participated in various French competitions organized by Chinese and French institutions, obtained the second prize at the National College French Speech Contest, and was awarded the Jury’s Special Prize for his exceptional performance at the finals of Francophone Song Contest. He then got a chance to study theater in Avignon, France.

With his love for France, after obtaining his degree, Li decided to stay there to pursue further studies. He studied film at National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Paris and Université Paris Nanterre, and then stayed in France for four more years.

Li Song serves as the event host at the opening ceremony of the French Film Panorama during the 5th Beijing International Film Festival in 2015.

Spectacle One Man Show

Li returned to China in 2008. Armed with a strong linguistic background and deep understanding of the French culture, he received several job offers. Over the following 10 years, he worked as a French teacher, presenter on the CCTV French channel, interpreter and host for major international French and Chinese events, assistant to the producer of a French film production company, and art dealer for French galleries.

His rich professional experience has increasingly made him aware that in cultural communication, it is not enough to merely know the culture of some other country; it is essential to know your own culture as well. Being able to convey the nuances of two cultures constitutes the true meaning of cultural exchanges, and thus an indispensable link for the promotion of French and Chinese culture. Li, passionate about humor, eloquence, and theater, ultimately made a decision that astounded people surrounding him: presenting Chinese culture through the medium of a French talk show.

The scripts in his talk shows are primarily based on his personal experiences, such as his childhood, thoughts and traditional life habits of his parents and grandparents, his experience of learning French as well as anecdotes about his life in France. “Interconnecting these little stories provide a panorama of an individual’s life. By sharing them, I am showing the French the linguistic and cultural differences between China and France, while also illustrating the development and changes of the Chinese society,” said Li. To achieve better performance results, he invited a French friend to help him refine his script, in an effort to enhance the humor and punchlines from the perspective of French audiences.

In late 2017, an audience’s warm round of applause marked the premiere of his talk show. In March of the following year, his show was selected as part of the celebrations for the Month of Francophonie in China co-organized by the French Embassy in China. Li thus made his first tour in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Qingdao.

Eventually, he was invited to perform in France. Within two years, he toured several cities in France and even in Montreal, Canada, often talking to packed venues with 200 to 300 spectators. “He combines humor with captivating stories to accurately depict the image of the French,” commented one of his spectators. Li was also invited to a TV5 Monde show, where he discussed with the host similarities and differences between Chinese and French humor and culture.

Ambassador of Cultures

During recent years, Li, with his deep understanding of cultural communication, found a new path of promoting culture exchange by creating a series of French-language videos called “Le Journal débridé” on the Internet. The content of the series focuses on Chinese and French culture. In the videos, Li explains the use of Chinese words and phrases in a captivating way, looking at different linguistic features and customs of both countries.

This language teaching video series has been used by Confucius Institutes in France and Luxembourg for Chinese language instruction, and was highly praised by Professor Joël Bellassen, former inspector general of Chinese language teaching at the French Ministry of Education, who believes these videos can help the French better understand modern Chinese society.

Li has made a series of episodes in which he interviewed different French people in China from various professional backgrounds. They discuss what they have seen and experienced in China or France, as well as their views about the country. These dialogues help French viewers better understand China in a more transparent and objective manner.

His LEDEBRIDE account is present on various social media platforms in China and abroad, and his total number of internet followers has reached nearly 100,000. Chinese and French fans often send him online messages to express how much they have learned from his videos.

When asked about what kind of professional career he prefers, Li decisively chose talk show performance. As Li looks forward, regardless of what the future may hold for him, he said he will always contribute his part to the promotion of Sino-French friendship.