Centre culturel de Chine

The first Chinese cultural centre ever to be set up abroad (in 2002) is also one of the most impressive, not least thanks to its imposing glass edifice on the Quai d'Orsay. The centre combines impressive facilities – exhibition space, screening room, swanky mediatheque – with a strong pedagogic thrust, thanks to a range of courses that cover everything from Mandarin classes to calligraphy lessons. The venue manages to balance a vast range of events across different media, many of which are the only of their kind in Paris (where else are you going to go for an evening of Peking Opera?).