Couleurs de Chine is an association registered at the Paris Prefecture under n° 00094.375p in accordance with the 1901 Law on associations. It is domiciled at 5 rue Michelet, 92500 Rueil Malmaison, France It is a non-political and non-denominational organization. It was established on 12 March 1990 with the aim of promoting in France the culture of ethnic minorities in China.
In 1997, Françoise Grenot-Wang, the founder of the association, was working as an interpreter for Médecins sans Frontières in the Great Miao Mountains region of Guangxi. In the course of her work she was struck by the difficulties involved in sending girls to school. In most of the Miao, Yao and Dong villages scarcely any girls had the opportunity of going to school because their families were so poor. As a general rule, priority is given to boys, since the cost of schooling represents a significant part of the family income.
In 1998 Couleurs de Chine began its efforts to help send to school the girls of the ethnic minorities living in the Great Miao mountains. The work of the association was originally cultural in inspiration, but has taken on a primarily humanitarian dimension.
