Sophie Metais, director of international relations of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (first, right), receives and displays the artwork. [Photo/government of Zhelin town in Fengxian district]

With the Paris Olympic Games just around the corner, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee recently acquired four special blue and white porcelain artworks created by Wang Xuyuan, an artist from Shanghai's Fengxian district, to commemorate the upcoming event.

These pieces not only showcase the exquisite craftsmanship of Chinese traditional art but also embody the universal resonance of the Olympic spirit.

Inspired by the French version of the Olympic motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together" ("Plus vite, plus haut, plus fort – ensemble" in French), the artist utilized porcelain from Jingdezhen, China's renowned porcelain capital. He ingeniously integrated the initials of the French words "Vite", "Haut", "Fort", and "Ensemble" with Olympic elements, each corresponding to athletes swimming, pole vaulting, playing basketball, as well as the Olympic torch.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. The French National Olympic and Sports Committee's acquisition of Wang's blue and white porcelain artworks is a significant achievement in Sino-French artistic exchanges. Back in October 2013, Wang's work was collected by the National Ceramics Museum of Sevres, making him the first Chinese artist of the 21st century to be included in the French museum's collection.

Source: Government of Zhelin town in Fengxian district