Can you introduce the Montmartre district in France?

The Montmartre district at the foot of the Sacré-Coeur is the most famous concentration of artists in Paris. More than 500 painters and poets living in this area have injected a strong artistic atmosphere into this area, and also The area was forever marked by the bohemian lifestyle of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The winding alleys, exquisite small squares, exquisite and beautiful terraces, charming dance halls and pubs, and sketch portrait painters scattered on the streets all together constitute the unique artistic atmosphere of the Montmartre area.

The "798 Art Factory" in Dashanzi, Beijing, is also home to a large number of highly individual artists and designers. You can also see bright and creative graffiti on the walls everywhere. It was once a I visited the place many times and couldn’t leave. But when comparing it to Montmartre, I realized that 798 seemed a little too restrained and narrow. Art was mostly kept indoors, framed in a fixed space of a certain art workshop, and always obeyed a specific theme; while Montmartre Unique art is fluid and has no boundaries. It can be a wall, a painting, a sculpture, a piece of music, a coffee shop on the corner, or a bright wooden house on the corner. . . Finally, they are stirred and blended together to form an overall cultural atmosphere that is refreshing and approachable. Even if you don't know anything about Picasso or Dali's works, you will find that "art" can be so close to you when you stroll around. . .

I have long heard that French men are the most romantic and passionate men in the world, and I have also heard that Asian girls (especially Chinese and Japanese girls) are very popular in France. I have been in France for less than a month, and I have had the experience of meeting strangers on the subway or on the street, striking up a conversation, and inviting them to drink coffee together. I would refuse many times before, but then I accepted it once. I had a pleasant chat with a man who studied at one of the earliest MBA programs in Paris 10 years ago and is now working in the Internet tourism industry. I actually found that I could take a short period of time during the day when I was not so busy to get to know each other better. Interesting people, it is a pleasant enjoyment to listen to them talk about France and China. The only place I felt strongly about the enthusiasm and openness of French men was in Montmartre. . .

On the brick-paved path from one side of the Sacred Heart Church to the back of the church, I was carefully taking photos of the church from all angles, when suddenly a 30-40-year-old man , a middle-aged man holding a picture folder came over to me and asked me with a smile: "Are you Miss Japan or Miss Korean?" (Are you Miss Japan or Miss Korea?), my non-"typical" Chinese face was regarded as I was not surprised that many people were Japanese or Korean, and politely told him "I'm Miss China". "Oh, Miss China? Where are you from? You know, you have very nice features, i like your face. I'm an artist" (Oh, Miss China? Where are you from? You know, you have Your face is very distinctive, I like your face, I am an artist) As he said that, the artist started to draw me with a charcoal pen on his painting folder, which really shocked me and looked around. Looking around, I realized that there were street sketch artists of his age or older accosting tourists and wanting to paint for them. I quickly told him, "Thank you, but I don't think I need a painting." "How much do you charge?" (Thank you, but I don't want a sketch. How much do you charge?) "Come on,don't talk about money,i like your futures" (Oh, don't talk about money, I like your facial features). As he said this, he called me to the other side of the road, as if he was serious about painting for me, which puzzled me. Sure enough, before I had even made two strokes, the artist lifted up the drawing board under the drawing paper and pointed at the price of 50E to me, and then told me that he usually charges 50 euros. Since I am a student, he gave me half the price for only 25 euros. Before I could say NO, he lowered the price to 20 euros. Seeing that I looked like I was leaving, he finally asked me how much I could pay. I told him that I only had the money to buy the tickets. He finally realized that there was no chance, so he had to smile at me regretfully and let me continue taking pictures.

On the way to Montmartre after admiring the Sacré-Coeur, I was carefully admiring the various art albums sold on both sides of the street, when I met the artist again unexpectedly. The artist’s eyes Yi Liang recognized me immediately, and I gave him a friendly smile and prepared to continue my investigation. Unexpectedly, he came over again enthusiastically, "Hey, Miss Tokyo. Listen, this time it's completely free, I won't charge you any money.i'm just an artist,i said i like your futures" (Hey Miss Tokyo (look, you got me wrong again) listen, this time it's completely free, I don't charge a penny, I'm an artist , I said I like your features), "Thank you, but i shouldn't..." was so kind, I didn't know how to evade it for a while, how could such a good thing happen? "I said it's completely free, stand this way a little" (I said it's completely free, stand this way a little) After saying that, I started to draw a few strokes on the manuscript paper again, letting me stand in front of the people coming and going. In the middle of the road, the whole thing is incomprehensible. Come to think of it, I already told him that I only had money for the tickets before, and now that I have bought the tickets, he should know that I have even less money, right? Let’s see what tricks he plays next. . . Sure enough, without even two strokes, he said, "Come on, let's move over there" (Wait, let's go over there). It was all on the side of the street. I wasn't afraid, so I followed him to the corner of the street. Cafe. There were already a few tourists sitting here, including another middle-aged man and a young French man. He was not surprised when he saw me following him. He nodded enthusiastically at me and spoke English with a strong accent with a smile on his face. Asked me "How much does he charge you?" (How much does he charge you?) Before I could answer, the artist himself said "It's for free, I don't charge her" (It's for free, I said it) Not charging him), the two men laughed, and then joked with him in French. I didn't understand, and I couldn't seem too reserved. I also looked at their laughter and giggled with them for a while, so I should practice my French listening skills. I thought the artist would start painting formally, but unexpectedly he put the painting folder under the table, ordered me a cup of coffee, and announced, "My gallery is closed today." No way? This poor painter, it's only around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, why don't you go to the street to get some work while there are still many tourists, and treat me to a cup of coffee? Why were his two friends sitting on the street chatting like nothing happened in broad daylight? Although I was still beating a little drum in my heart, it wasn’t too bad to see them smiling cheerfully, so I decided to enjoy this cup of coffee and integrate into the rare life of an artist in Montmartre. . .

In fact, I had a lot of fun talking to the painter and his two friends later. The middle-aged friend registered a consulting company of his own in Hong Kong, and the young friend often came to Guangdong to buy goods and sell them in Paris to engage in so-called imports. Export trade, and the painter’s own wife is an authentic Japanese. No wonder he has a soft spot for Japan. . . After drinking coffee, a group of artists also took the initiative to act as a free tour guide for me, introducing me to the main museums along the way, taking me through the main streets of Montmartre, and then to another slightly secluded place on the Place de la Cote. At the coffee shop, I found an outdoor table and chairs facing the street, sat down again, and said I would have another drink before going home. Ha, this is so unexpected to me. They say that French people live a leisurely life, but I didn’t expect to spend the afternoon just drinking a cup of coffee and chatting, walking a few steps, changing to a corner to continue drinking and chatting. . . No, I still wanted to wander around the neighborhood again, so I declined their invitation. They didn't force me to stay, they told me that they would stay there for about an hour, and asked me to remember to go back to them after shopping. They said that they could continue to be my tour guide if necessary. At the end, they even gave me a naughty wink. Haha, it was okay if I didn’t blink, but if I blinked, I felt that my motives were impure, so I smiled and promised to leave quickly. . .

After a good walk around Montmartre and then back to the Sacré-Coeur, I hesitated whether to keep my promise and go back to say goodbye to them. Alain, who was coming out to smoke at the door of the small coffee bar, saw me and thought I was I want someone to take a picture of me and ask me "You want me to take a picture of you?" (Do you want me to take a picture of you?) "No, thank you." (Thank you, no) "Where are you from ?" (Where are you from?) "China (China)" "Oh,i've been to China for three times,i'm an architect (Oh, I've been to China three times, I'm an architect)"" Oh, really? I also worked in the architecture field for several years (Really? I also happened to have worked in the architecture field for several years)" "Oh, how nice! Are you here for traveling?" (Oh, great, Are you traveling here? ) "No, I'm studying here" (No, I'm studying here) "Why not come in for a coffee. I'm just here for a smoke. My name is Alain... "(Why don't you come in for a cup of coffee? I just came out to smoke a cigarette. My name is Alain)

Due to my special affection for architecture in the past few years, meeting an architect in Paris made me feel a little " The feeling of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land", coupled with the fact that the architect turned his back and raised his hand, pointed at the Sacred Heart Church on the mountain and talked to me about the style of Byzantine architecture for a while, immediately made me respect him more. The architect is so friendly, why not chat about architecture in this small coffee bar at the foot of the church? Wei Xiang followed the architect into the coffee bar and asked for a cup of coffee. The architect stopped talking about architecture and instead talked to me about himself. He said that he is 36 years old, single, and lives in the Montmartre area. He is usually very busy at work. He is on vacation this week, so he came to the coffee bar to sit there. He said that he studied architecture for 7 years and design for 3 years, and now he mainly works in design. He also participated in projects in China. He said that he just went out to smoke a cigarette and didn't expect to meet me. He was very happy to meet me and liked my smile. He hoped that I could give him more time to get to know him slowly in the future. He also said that if I didn't mind, , I can go with him to meet a couple of his friends for dinner in the evening. If that doesn’t work, I hope I can come back to the bar the next evening. After dinner, he will take me to see the most charming night view of Paris from the Sacré-Coeur. Let’s talk about architecture again. . . No way? This, this is too direct, right? Don’t French men even need to know someone they like when they meet them?

As the dinner time agreed with my friends came, the architect had to get up and set off, and insisted on taking me to the subway with him. I originally wanted to stay nearby and see Paris at dusk, but he insisted that I come over the next day and take me to appreciate and talk about the architecture. He also apologized all the way, saying that he didn't know he would meet me today, otherwise he wouldn't have arranged a dinner with a friend (as if we have known each other for a long time and just met today?), and said that it was very happy to be with me, and he would definitely ask me in the future. Give him more time. . . Listening to him wishfully self-reporting his family tree and immersing himself in the role, if I didn't agree to leave with him first, I would have to continue to plead; I thought that my artist friend who I had just let go would definitely take a knife if he saw me on the road. Cut me, and I will no longer be human. I even have thoughts of committing suicide. I really want to run away. Who did I offend? . . .

Although I am very interested in watching the night view of Paris from the commanding heights of the Sacré-Coeur and listening to the architect talk about architecture, I shudder when I recall the architect's anxious "getting married" look. He said that he must have sent a text message that night to cancel the appointment for the next day. The architect did not give up, and until today, a week later, he sent text messages from time to time to express his concern and asked me to choose a suitable time to meet. . . Isn't it?

I always consider myself to be simple and low-key in speech and behavior in Paris. I never go out to socialize at night, and I never take the initiative to strike up conversations with others. I have completely returned to the simplest side of my student days. I never expected that I would be here on the same afternoon. I encountered the enthusiastic invitations of two groups of men in the same place. I was surprised and gained a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the enthusiasm and openness of French men: I found that as long as you have a small figure that is typical of Asians, as long as you have the With a face that looks very oriental at first glance, as long as you are walking alone without a man beside you, as long as you answer the first sentence thrown at you, you are likely to fall into the sugar-coated bullets of French men. middle. . .

Haha, in fact, it doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad. It’s very possible that he is very serious about finding a gentle and virtuous Asian wife (this is the common view of French men towards Oriental women. Many French women do not have a strong sense of family. ), of course, it is more likely that he just hopes to have one more affair with a young oriental girl in his life. It just depends on what you expect to get from it.

Neither of them is what I expect now, so I have gradually learned to defend myself. But it is hard to refuse such kindness, so I will ask you for a cup of coffee and chat with you for a while; you can introduce yours to me. Culture, I will also spread my culture to you; as for whether we will continue in the future, we will contact you via text message. . . I just discovered a new contradiction: on the one hand, everyone advises you to get to know more local people and integrate into local life, and you also encourage yourself to get to know more people with different backgrounds from your own; on the other hand, you find that the most positive and enthusiastic person is the first one. The person who extends the green olive branch of friendship to you is definitely the most romantic and passionate French man in the area.

What do you say?