119th FDU Anniv. Special | Meet French alumna Clarisse Le Guernic

Clarisse Le Guernic, a French alumna of Class of 2016, recently shared with Fudan students her experiences studying at Fudan and explained why she chose to start her own business in Shanghai’s tourism industry. 

Clarisse’s story with China began when she started studying Chinese at the age of 12. “Of the more than 1,000 students in my school, fewer than 10 chose to learn Chinese as a second language at that time, but I fell madly in love with the Chinese language”, she recalled. In 2012, she spent two weeks in China. From then on, she dreamed of living there — a dream that came true in her junior year. She traveled alone to this distant land and studied at Fudan University between 2015 and 2016 as an exchange student in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.

Coming from a small seaside city of 50,000 residents in western France, Clarisse was not used to the heavy traffic and high-rise buildings when she first arrived in Shanghai, a city with a permanent population of 25 million. However, after a while, she found that she particularly liked Shanghai, its history, architecture, and the passion of its people.

“I have experienced many first-time experiences in my life in China: my first time studying abroad, flying alone, traveling alone, shopping online... So I often say that I was born in France and made in China,” Clarisse said. For her, Shanghai is like another hometown.

After completing her master’s degree in tourism management, she returned to China and founded a cultural agency in 2020. Her goal was to showcase a more detailed and authentic Shanghai, primarily to expats and foreign visitors, as well as local humanities enthusiasts through city tours, parkour challenge, and more.

“Shanghai far exceeds its reputation.” Having lived in Shanghai for nearly nine years, Clarisse is committed to sharing the city’s charm with the world. She believes that when a visitor feels the enchantment of Shanghai, he or she may share this experience with friends and family, creating a ripple effect.

“Shanghai is a very inclusive city, you can see modernity and traditions coexist here.” Clarisse is eager to provide people with a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of Shanghai is what Clarisse is eager to bring to people. She believes that the essence of a city is discovered not merely by visiting its famous landmarks but also by engaging oneself with its history, talking to local residents and exploring its local lifestyle.

Fluent in French, English and Chinese, Clarisse is interested in studying the photos, maps, and architecture of the former French Concession, as well as conversing with locals in the narrow lanes called Nong Tang (弄堂), the common living space for tens of millions of ordinary Shanghainese in the last century, which is integral to the culture of modern Shanghai. This immersive approach provides her with a deeper understanding of the city, allowing her to present an authentic Shanghai to people outside China.

In 2024, which marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, Clarisse was appointed as 2024 Shanghai International Tourism Ambassadorr by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. Over these years, she has participated in many cultural exchange activities, appearing 3 times on the program “Bond with China” (《中国缘》) on CCTV4, a mainstream television channel in China.

“I don’t dare to say that I know China well, because China is so vast, there are so many things I don’t know or probably only know a little bit about. But I hope I can do something and spread more Chinese culture and history to the world,” she said.

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Presented by Fudan University Media Center

Writer: DONG Kaiyan

Editor: WANG Mengqi, LI Yijie