MORE than a century ago, a group of eminent Frenchmen from art, science and politics decided to set up an organisation to promote cultural understanding and foster friendly relations between diverse people through the French language. Thus, Alliance Francaise was born.
Since its inception in 1883, Alliance Francaise has spread to many parts of the world.Today, there is a network of over 1,300 independently run committees established in 112 countries. It is the oldest language school in the world with a truly international network.
The Alliance Francaise de Hongkong was founded 60 years after it was born in France. Two decades later, it was incorporated here as a non-profit-making organisation and managed by a locally elected committee. The organisation in Hongkong is one of an exclusive club - the 10 most important alliances in the world.
Christian Dumarty, the Hongkong director, said there were now four branches in the territory, with the main one located in Wan Chai.
''We have 5,000 students each term. Most of them are Chinese, but there are also Indians, Pakistanis and others from Hongkong. There are, of course, other expatriates also attending the classes'', he said.
While much of the work revolves round teaching general French language courses, the alliance has now started subject-specific teaching courses.