"Learning Chinese culture is like doing yoga for the brain."——Joyce Jonathan

French singer Joyce Jonathan, known for her love of Chinese culture, wowed audiences with her performance on the stage of the music competition "Sisters Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves 2024." With her guitar and microphone, she captivated the crowd with her rendition of "Les Champs-Élysées" under the dazzling lights.

Reflecting on her decades-long connection with China, she said, "China is like my second home."

Connection to China: Receiving my first guitar in Beijing

Her bond with China traces back to her childhood, as her parents, enamored with Chinese culture,can speak Mandarin. At the age of ten, Joyce visited Beijing for the first time, and five years later, she received her first guitar there. Since then, China and music have left an indelible mark on her life.

In 2017, Joyce embarked on a concert tour in China, meeting fans in seven cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. This year, she graced the stage of "Sisters Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves 2024."

Each visit to China leaves Joyce amazed by the country's rapid pace of development. She remarked, "Every minute at 'Sisters Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves' is filled with changes. The rhythm is fast. The stage, concepts,and ideas - everything is amazing. It's the best show I've ever participated in, and it will be unforgettable for me."

Sino-French cultural exchange: Enlightening songstress for French learners

In about a week, mastering a song from scratch, orchestrating a multi-person stage performance, and vying for a coveted spot - the intensive competition may seem commonplace to Chinese audiences. However, the image of the French often carries a sense of relaxation among Chinese people. Joyce Jonathan, however, emphasizes that for her, it's more about enjoying the moment and finding joy in the process.

"'Sisters Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves' is not a sports competition; it's a wonderful stage for delivering beautiful songs to people. We give our all for every performance and receive a lot of love from the audience," Joyce Jonathan remarked.”

Besides the live audiences, Joyce has also garnered a lot of goodwill online. In the post of her debut stage performance video, many comments echo sentiments like, "The enlightening goddess for French language students," or "Your song was the first French song I've ever heard."

Joyce expressed happiness and pride at this, stating, "Learning language through melody is indeed a great method." This method has been validated in Joyce's own experience. On the show, she has sung in Chinese multiple times, stunning the audience with her flawless pronunciation. "Perhaps I've been exposed to Chinese since I was in my mother's womb, and I've been in contact with it since childhood, so I naturally feel familiar with it."

Cultural ambassadorship: Shared wisdom sustaining Sino-French friendship

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations. Like her parents, Joyce is also an enthusiast of Chinese culture. She believes that the continuation of friendship embodies the shared wisdom of the two peoples.

Her favorite quote from the "Analects" -"To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge" - resonates with her understanding of the mutual cognition between China and France.

Joyce has some understanding of Chinese sages like Confucius and Laozi. She says that Chinese culture emphasizes respect for others, self-awareness, and distancing oneself from jealousy, which can help soothe inner turmoil. "Learning Chinese culture is like doing yoga for the brain."

"Sino-French cultures share many charms. We both have a long history that we're proud of, and we both love the arts. Chinese people also pursue romance, perhaps in a different way from the French, but both possess rich emotions, sensitive hearts, and yearning for beautiful things," Joyce remarked.

热爱中国文化的法国“浪姐”乔伊丝·乔纳森：“中国是我的第二个故乡”

“学习中国文化就像大脑在做瑜伽一样放松。”——乔伊丝·乔纳森

一把吉他，一支话筒，绚烂灯光下，一位棕发女孩在舞台上轻轻哼唱。在音乐竞演节目《乘风2024》的初舞台上，法国歌手乔伊丝·乔纳森（Joyce Jonathan）以一首《香榭丽舍大街》，一出场便吸引了观众的目光。

许多人不知道的是，乔伊丝与中国的缘分，从她未出生时就开始了——她的父母早在她出生之前就是旅中“驴友”；幼年的她第一次到北京，后来在那里收到人生的第一把吉他；过去15年，她每年都来到中国，已经去过15个城市。

近日，乔伊丝在长沙接受羊城晚报记者专访。前一天，她刚经历十几个小时紧张的公演录制。尽管已十分疲惫，在谈起中国的话题时，乔伊丝仍然很兴奋。与中国结缘的数十年，让她感慨：“中国就是我的第二个家乡。”

中国缘分：在北京获得第一把吉他

乔伊丝的父母对中国文化非常着迷，都会说中文。乔伊丝母亲是旅游从业者，很早就来过中国。10岁时，乔伊丝第一次来到北京，5年后，她在北京获得了人生中的第一把吉他。中国和音乐，从此在乔伊丝的人生留下抹不去的印记。

2010年，乔伊丝的首张专辑《自我保护》发布后很快取得成功，这令她声名鹊起，也受邀来中国演出、参加节目。此后15年间，她几乎每年都会来中国。2017年，乔伊丝在中国开展巡回演出，在北京、上海、广州等7个城市与歌迷见面。今年，她来到《乘风2024》（以下简称“浪姐”）的舞台。

每次来到中国，乔伊丝都感受到中国发展变化的速度越来越快。特别是电视节目，她发现如今的制作越来越专业。“在‘浪姐’，每一分钟都在发生变化，节奏很快。舞台、概念、想法，一切都很了不起，是我参加过的最棒的节目，一定会让我非常难忘。”

来参加节目的原因有二。“我想提高中文水平，以后更好地用中文唱歌。”节目理念也打动着她，“无论你是否出名，在节目中，我们都是一起学习一起分享，在一次次训练和比赛中提升自我。这就是‘30+’女性的力量。”

中法交流：法语学习者的启蒙歌手

用一周左右时间从头学习一首歌，完成一场多人配合的舞台表演，争取一个留下来的席位。这样的“卷”在中国观众眼中已习以为常；但法国人的形象在国人心中总带着“松弛感”，就像那首《香榭丽舍大街》一样，轻巧又灵动。面对竞争，乔伊丝说，更多时候，她都是在享受当下，获得乐趣。

“‘浪姐’不是体育比赛，它是为人们带来动听歌曲的美妙舞台。我们为每一场演出付出了百分百的自己，也从观众那里获得许多爱意。”乔伊丝说，“虽然有竞争，但我觉得大家都是赢家。”

除了现场观众，乔伊丝在网络上也收获了很多善意。初舞台的视频下，有很多类似的留言：“法语学生的启蒙女神。”“我的法语启蒙歌手。”“第一次听的法语歌就是你的歌。”

对此，她感到高兴又自豪。“通过旋律来学习语言确实是很好的办法。”她说，“谢谢推荐我歌曲的老师和同学们。”

这种学习语言的方法在乔伊丝自己身上得到验证。在节目中，她多次用中文演唱歌曲，标准的发言惊艳了观众。“或许我还在妈妈肚子里时就听过中文；而且我从小就接触中文，所以对中文有天然的熟悉感。但要想说好，还是需要不断地练习。”

文化使者：共同的智慧让中法友谊延续

今年是中法建交60周年。和父母一样，乔伊丝也是中国文化的爱好者。她认为，友谊的延续里包含着两国人民共同的智慧。

《论语》中的“知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也”，是她最喜欢的句子。这也契合了她对中法人民共同的认知：“我们都是很真实的人，怎么想就怎么说。”

乔伊丝对孔子、老子等中国先贤都有一定了解。她说，中国文化强调尊重他人、认知自己、远离嫉妒，能够帮助人们抚平内心的不安。“学习中国文化就像大脑在做瑜伽一样放松。”

“中法文化有很多共同的魅力。我们都有悠久的历史，并且为之骄傲，都热爱艺术。中国人也追求浪漫，或许和法国人的浪漫不同，但都有丰富的情感、敏感的内心，向往美好的事物。”乔伊丝说。

如今，这位法国女孩与中国的情谊仍在继续：不久前，乔伊丝刚推出自己的中文歌精选集；“浪姐”之后，她还将在11月再次回到中国演出。

总策划｜孙爱群
统筹｜蒋铮 赵鹏
文案、台本｜曾潇 古司祺 付怡 戚美青 胡广欣
视频｜黎杰文 温泽广
海报｜李焕菲
翻译｜刘佳慧