2026-2027 Program
In 2023, to mark a triple anniversary (the 140th anniversary of the Alliance Française movement worldwide, the 100th anniversary of the Alliance Française in Strasbourg, and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Alliance Française school in Strasbourg), the Alliance Française decided to open a new venue.
This 200 m² venue, housed within the magnificent ESCA building constructed in 1923, is dedicated to the arts and culture.
Designed to host exhibitions, meetings, conferences, concerts and performances, the Grande Salle opened its doors on October, 3rd 2023.
Its aim? To foster exchange with others, continuing the Alliance Française’s commitment to the Francophonie through cultural activities. This is about interculturality, exchanges between foreign cultures and France: a work of remembrance and recognition of history.
The theme of the cultural programme presented by the Alliance Française in its main auditorium is entitled ‘La part de l’autre’. Reflecting the Alliance Française’s commitment to intercultural cooperation, it has highlighted the diversity and richness of the many different cultural backgrounds of those who frequent the Alliance Française (learners, members or friends) and who share the French language.
This is an exploration of how everyone can contribute to our collective enrichment through their own history and culture. The programme is based on an inclusive approach, structured around three themes focusing on ‘the Other’, running from October 2025 to June 2026
Chinese Weeks: 15th of October to the 18th december 2026
Exhibition – Un calligraphe chinois en Alsace
- from the 15th of October to the 18th of december, Monday to Friday, 2 pm to 5 pm
Come discover Liu Yi’s exhibition. Born in 1964 in Weihai, a port city on the Bohai Gulf, this self-taught pictographer lives and works in Beijing. In the 1980s, he first practiced traditional Chinese calligraphy before studying the more modern Japanese art of line drawing.
In seeking parallels between Far Eastern calligraphers and the masters of early 20th-century Western abstraction, he developed his own style by creating works in which the gesture and speed of execution, the structure of the mark and the texture of the medium, as well as the distribution of solid areas (black ink) and empty spaces (uninked areas of the paper), overshadow any meaning, whether figurative and/or ideographic.
Conference – Médecine traditionnelle chinoise by Gérard Toninato
- 4th of November at 7pm
Come deepen your understanding of the history of traditional Chinese medicine. This complementary medicine views the body and mind as an interconnected whole and treats the person as a whole, thereby helping to alleviate a variety of health issues, including chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and digestive disorders.
Gérard Toninato, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine for 20 years and a graduate of the Chuzhen Institute, will take us through 25 centuries of history and practices passed down from generation to generation: From the Yellow Emperor to the present day—the grand history of Chinese medicine. Passionate about teaching, Gérard Toninato has shared his knowledge of Chinese medicine at the community college for 12 years and regularly organizes seminars.
Registration required by the following link : https://my.weezevent.com/conference-medecine-traditionnelle-chinoise-gerard-toninato
Poetry recital – Sous la nuit étoilée de la poésie by Ruling ZHANG
- 23rd of November at 7pm
Discover Ms. Zhang Ruling, a specialist in Chinese literature and poetry. For many years, she has been working to bring Chinese and French cultures closer together by creating and hosting poetry recitals.
On Monday, November 23, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Alliance Française in Strasbourg, Ms. Zhang Ruling will present a bilingual poetry recital in which masterpieces of Chinese and French poetry will engage in a dialogue with music, inviting the audience on a sensory journey of discovery through both literary heritages.
Narrators and an opera singer will perform works by classical poets such as Su Dongpo, Victor Hugo, Li Yu, Li Qingzhao, and Victor Segalen, as well as contemporary poets, through a bilingual anthology.
Registration required by the following link : https://my.weezevent.com/recital-de-poesie-sous-le-ciel-etoile-de-la-poesie
Cinema – Projection of the movie Ne Zha
- 9th of December at 7pm
Come see the screening of the animated feature film Ne Zha. Deeply rooted in Chinese cultural heritage, it is inspired by the famous classical novel Investiture of the Gods, one of the major works of Chinese fantasy literature. Director Jiaozi reimagines this ancient myth, giving it a contemporary twist.
Through the story of Ne Zha, the film explores universal themes such as social pressure, prejudice, and the search for identity in the face of an imposed destiny. Ne Zha, a boy born from a demonic pearl and endowed with extraordinary powers, is doomed by a prophecy to wreak havoc.
Rejected by the residents of his village, who view him as a monster, he fights to prove his true worth. The film’s exceptional success in China illustrates the resurgence of Chinese animation, which successfully blends cultural traditions, references to Taoism, and the most advanced animation technologies.
Registration required by the following link : https://my.weezevent.com/projection-du-film-danimation-ne-zha
Closing concert – Léane Dreyer
- 18th of december at 7pm
The final event of Chinese Weeks will be presented by Léane Dreyer, a musician specializing in the guzheng, a Chinese zither. In 2017, Léane Dreyer won first prize at the Dunhuang Cup in Guangdong Province, before going on to earn several awards at national competitions, notably in Shanghai and in Anhui Province, where she was also selected to perform at the closing ceremony.
After studying in the music department at Nanjing University of the Arts, she continues to perform there as a concert artist, giving solo recitals in Nanjing and Guangzhou, while also embarking on her first tour of France, visiting eleven cities in 2020. On Friday, December 18, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., Léane Dreyer will take the audience on a musical journey into the world of the guzheng, the Chinese zither, through a program blending tradition and virtuosity.
Registration required by the following link : https://my.weezevent.com/concert-de-musique-traditionnelle-et-contemporaine-de-chine-leane-dreyer
