French in Old Peking 
cctv.com 03-15-2005 19:02
April 24th, 2004, it wasn鈥檛 a day that will be remembered by history, but it was full of stories, nonetheless. A cat sneaked atop the roof of Pierre Haski鈥檚 house. A bottle of French wine was carefully hidden in Fred Muller 鈥檚 red cabinet, disguised by the local spirits and beers displayed on top. Victoire Surio鈥檚 digital recording pen was malfunctioning. And a man, actually a painter, discovered a new target, that鈥檚 Ch. Chaudlerot. These four French people are searching for history in the old city of Beijing, but some very Chinese architecture and along with the traditional way of life, like most other things old, is disappearing fast.
The terracotta roof, the wall, the doorways, all of those are typical Chinese, but actually they were painted by Frenchman and seen through Frenchman鈥檚 eyes. Hello I鈥檓 Laurel Bennett, and in today鈥檚 rediscovering China. Let鈥檚 see how some French people rediscover the ancient nation鈥檚 capital city of Beijing.
Bonjour Pekin! A modern city, the heart of a changing power, the political center of a vast nation, and the witness of a history spanning 5000 years.
Charles Chauderlot never sees enough of the small alleys called 鈥淗utong鈥 in Chinese. Here, he encounters residential houses, some built over 300 years ago. Carefully decorated roofs and gates dominated Beijing during the last dynasties. With a touch of history, they are irresistible to a painter.
6 years have passed since Chauderlot landed in China and picked up a Chinese brush to depict eastern beauty.
And they will tell me what鈥檚 this, what鈥檚 the meaning of that detail, what鈥檚 the use of that stone. So my civilization teacher was those common people.
While painting the old city, Chaudlerot became a friend to many local Chinese, who have shared with him beer, Jiaozi, and the pride of their homes, especially before many of the houses were torn down.
One after another, Chaudlerot鈥檚 pictures record the different faces of Hutongs and yards that have been cast aside in lieu of more modern structures. After 5 years working in the old city, he was invited to paint the largest yard and house in China鈥攖he Forbidden City, the Imperial Palace for two dynasties and home to 24 emperors. It鈥檚 a privilege not enjoyed by any other foreign artists.
Every day, Chaudlerot comes through the Dong Hua Men gate and enters the area forever surrounded by red walls. He is free to go everywhere in the palace, whereas 80% of it is still forbidden to common visitors.
The huge palace reminds him of Versailles. Though the two architectural miracles may have shared the same glory and gunfire, their structural philosophies are very different.
