"What the young Europeans want to learn about [China] is about everything," Nicolas Chapuis, ambassador of the European Union to China, said. "Why is China a great civilization? I think China needs to do more, in cross-cultural dialogues, to show the unity of its civilization."

A Sinologist and translator, as well as a diplomat, he graduated in Paris with a doctoral degree in Chinese studies. Chapuis has introduced many Chinese writers to France, including Qian Zhongshu, Yang Jiang and Ba Jin. The ambassador is also the first to translate a full poetry collection by Du Fu into French.