Small town where Deng Xiaoping worked a century ago is among attractions for growing number of visitorsSeated on a red velvet banquettes in the Brasserie de la Poste in Montargis, a modest provincial town in the Loiret, south of Paris, is the Shanghai-born doctor Peiwen Wang, an expert in Chinese tourists' tastes in France.The special French menu for Chinese visitors begins with an aperitif of cider and local honey. The starter is foie gras on toast and salad, followed by duck ? cuisse de canard, in honey."Chinese people don't like much red meat and would shudder at the sight of blood dribbling across a plate from rare cooking, so duck is a good choice. The key is local wine that is matched to each course and cuts through the fattiness of foie gras," Wang said."The typical French cheese course has been omitted as the Chinese aren't big cheese eaters. Likewise, dessert is light and based on fresh fruit."France is the most popular European destination for Chinese tourists, with around 900,000 flocking there in 2011, a figure expected to quadruple in the next decade. Paris is the No 1 destination, with Chinese tourists on tightly scheduled coach tours often scrimping on accommodation in chain hotels off the ring-road and eating at �10 (�7.93) Chinese self-service buffets in order to spend on products such as designer bags and luxury perfumes and cosmetics, which are cheaper in France and tax-free.The French daily Le Figaro has even launched a regular luxury goods supplement in Chinese. But about 60 miles south of Paris, the town of Montargis, best known for pralines and canals, has become a must-see ? a symbolic stop-off for its role in the history of Chinese communism.It was here in 1910 to 1920 that hundreds of Chinese students came to study, including future leaders such as Deng Xiaoping, and a group of friends of Mao Zedong. Chinese history books recount that it was in a leafy Montargis park that the young Chinese students set out in a letter to Mao their first ideas for a Chinese Communist party.Wang, head of the China-Montargis friendship association, has lived in France for more than 20 years, and seven years ago set up guided tours of the Chinese history of Montargis. She now hosts about 100 Chinese groups a year, mostly senior functionaries and dignitaries.The tour ranges from Hutchinson's rubber factory, where Deng worked in the women's shoes sectionas a 17-year-old, to the former public baths, via old dormitories and secret courtyards. French tourists can be seen around town reading the numerous bilingual French-Chinese historical plaques that the association put up with the local authorities.Wang is now extending the tours to take in the increasingly popular chateaux of the nearby Loire valley, particularly the Chateau du Clos Luc� where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life and whose rooms dedicated to his engineering exploits are an eye-opener for Chinese visitors."France's appeal to Chinese tourists is all about romance and romanticism," Wang said.But time must always be set aside for shopping. Louis Vuitton leather goods are a key draw, and more modest souvenir gifts include Breton butter biscuits."Cosmetics and creams are more and more popular," Wang said. "Before I started this, I didn't know the Chinese word for Lanc�me. I certainly do now."FranceChinaFood and drinkTravel & leisureEuropeAsia PacificFranceAngelique Chrisafisguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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