The French prime minister has had a busy time in Shanghai attending receptions and opening exhibitions as the "Year of France in China" continues to unfold.

French fever reached a climax in Shanghai this week starting with the appearance of French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin at a series of openings and receptions to honor his visit to the city.

One of his first stops was at the Oriental Pearl Broadcasting and TV Tower, where he unveiled an exhibition featuring the photographs of Jean-Paul Lubliner. Entitled Un Voyage Immobile, all Lubliner's photos focus on one familiar subject: La Tour Eiffel.

But it's the Eiffel Tower viewed at different moments in different seasons from different angles.

The tower, in the eyes of the photographer, is like an elegant lady who is filled with intricacy and sensitivity as she overlooks all the vicissitudes of life in her city.

Sometimes she is lonely as when bathed in moonlight and with street lamp lights illuminating the quietly flowing River Seine; sometimes she looks gorgeous as when wrapped in striking neon light she waits for a brilliant fireworks show to start.

As well as the photographic exhibition, the Prime Minister Raffarin also unveiled a work in bronze created by French sculptor Richard Texier which stands in front a new high-rise office building opposite Xiangyang Market.

Strongly influenced by Picasso and abstract expressionism, Texier's works are filled with the myths of nature. His bronze sculpture is big in size and has an elephant-like figure sitting on a round shape. The work, the artist says, was inspired by his impressions of China.

The French prime minister also opened a multi-media and interactive exhibition starring 12 of the world's great cities.

The show entitled Cosmopolitan Overwriting of the City chose the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum as the venue for its world premiere showing.

The exhibition venue is set in an outdoor square. Visitors sit in the center of the square encircled by 12 screens and telescopes showing the cities of the world which include Paris, Berlin, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Chengdu in Sichuan Province. A special attraction of the show is a way to view the exhibits from a new perspective to obtain a panoramic image.

The images of a city are flashed one after another on the screens accompanied by a soundtrack relevant to that particular city.

As if to prolong the French fever into another week, another French exhibition will open at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall tomorrow. It contains scale models and photographs of a range of nearly 350 construction projects designed by French architects built in France and China.

Lubliner's photo exhibition
Date: through May 25, 9am-9:30pm
Venue: The square of Oriental Pearl Broadcasting and TV Tower, 1 Central Blvd, Pudong
Admission: 50 yuan
Tel: 5879-1888

Cosmopolitan Overwriting of the City
Date: through May 15, 9am-5pm
Venue: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, 2000 Central Blvd, Pudong
Admission: 60 yuan
Tel: 6862-2000

French Vision Architecture
Date: May 1-20, 9am-5pm
Venue: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, 100 People's Ave
Admission: 20 yuan
Tel: 6318-4477

(Shanghai Daily April 30, 2005)