The Embassy of France in Beijing (French: Ambassade de France en Chine; Chinese: 法国驻华大使馆) is the official diplomatic mission of the French Republic to the People's Republic of China. The embassy building was opened in 2011, and the current ambassador is Bertrand Lortholary.
History
Long Xinmin Affair
Since 2005, Long Xinmin has been the director general of the General Administration of Press and Publication, effectively the main person responsible for censorship in China. He banned certain publications, such as the popular supplement of the China Youth Daily, as well as a dozen works by well-known writers. Since his arrival into this post, he had strengthened control over the media and, most particularly, blogs on the internet. On April 3, 2007, Mr. Long was knighted to be awarded the Legion of Honor at the French Embassy. This award was justified as rewarding Long for his contribution towards the "Sino-French Crossover Years" (2003-2005) while in his previous post as the cultural affairs minister. A few weeks later, on April 24, 2007, Liu Binjie replaced Long Xinmin as ambassador, which allegedly because of Long's practice of banning books.[1]
Embassy Building
The embassy is located in the Chaoyang District , the main district for embassies in Beijing. The building also hosts a consular mission in addition to the embassy.
The new embassy was opened on October 28, 2011, which was designed by the architect Alain Sarfati.[2] It is located at the intersection of Liangmaqiao and Tianze streets and includes all the embassy services as well as the French residence. the 8-story-prominence “tower” in the center of the building is intended to give an urban dimension that integrates into the city. The garden of the residence is made up of a central lawn with two avenues of maple trees on either side.
