1 Introduction

This section introduces the development history and current status of Chinese language education in France, noting that its localization degree ranks among the top globally and serves as a model for the world; it elaborates on the significance of syllabus localization for promoting textbook development, teaching methodology, and teacher development; it explains that the Center for Language Education and Cooperation released the Reference Framework and its Application Guide in 2022, while the earlier published French Chinese Language Teaching Syllabus has long been referenced by Europe; it proposes that through comparing the two syllabi, systematically analyzing their commonalities and differences, strategic references can be provided for optimizing the Reference Framework.

2 Overview of Chinese Language Teaching Syllabi in China and France

This section reviews the evolution of the French Chinese language teaching syllabus: seven syllabi were successively introduced between 2002 and 2008, with the 2002 senior high school syllabus being the first to introduce "culture" as independent content; the 2010 syllabus used cultural content as an entry point for language teaching, proposing "cultural entry points" and "cultural concepts"; the 2013 baccalaureate reform elevated the status of cultural assessment; the 2015 syllabus continued the previous framework. The French syllabus is compatible with the CEFR while maintaining Chinese characteristics, with concepts such as "separate progression of language and literacy" and "Chinese character threshold" influencing multiple European countries. It also introduces China's Reference Framework as the first systematic cultural teaching syllabus, containing three first-level items and 32 second-level items, stratified according to cognitive levels and teaching methods, which can be integrated into language teaching or implemented independently.

3 Comparative Study of Cultural Teaching Content in the French Syllabus and the Reference Framework

This section compares the French Syllabus and the Reference Framework from four dimensions: the relationship between culture and language, cultural assessment, cultural teaching objectives, and cultural items. Regarding the relationship between culture and language, the French Syllabus organically integrates cultural teaching into language teaching activities with clear practical operability; the Reference Framework tends toward macro-level guidance without providing specific implementation plans. In terms of cultural assessment, France integrates four major cultural concepts into baccalaureate language proficiency examinations using standardized scoring models; China mainly relies on cultural knowledge testing, with both emphasizing the combination of summative and formative assessment. Regarding cultural teaching objectives, the French Syllabus emphasizes China as part of a diverse world communicating with the external world, focusing on cultivating intercultural communication competence and critical thinking; the Reference Framework takes China as the main subject, integrating Chinese-foreign exchange into traditional culture and contemporary China sections, being more general in nature. In terms of cultural item design, the French Syllabus contains five cultural themes and 35 topics with detailed and flexible classification; the Reference Framework is divided into three first-level items, 32 second-level items, and over 700 cultural points. NVivo software coding analysis reveals that the French Syllabus has 23 unique nodes involving sensitive issues such as social conflicts and identity; the Reference Framework has 5 unique nodes with more neutral and general content, deliberately avoiding potentially controversial themes such as religion and political conflict. These differences reflect not only the different educational systems and values of the two countries but are also closely related to the Reference Framework's universal positioning serving global Chinese language teaching.

4 Comparative Analysis of Chinese-French Chinese Cultural Teaching Concepts

This section compares the differences in secondary school Chinese cultural teaching concepts between China and France. Regarding methods of integrating culture into language teaching, France tightly integrates culture and language without distinction, while China focuses on language teaching as the core while also considering cultural teaching. In terms of cultivating intercultural awareness, France emphasizes perspective-taking, proceeding from the angle of interaction and integration between Chinese and French cultures, and attending to differences in learners' living environments. Regarding critical thinking cultivation, the French teaching syllabus explicitly requires cultivating learners' critical thinking, but there are also risks of cognitive bias due to inappropriate material selection. Regarding deep cultural concept dissemination, the popular experiential teaching method in China emphasizes superficial cultural experience activities, while France pays more attention to processing, discussing, and elaborating on cultural themes, emphasizing touching upon deep-level cultural concepts. It points out that international Chinese education should transcend superficial and fragmented cultural dissemination methods, systematically disseminating core values of Chinese culture, and teachers can synthesize the strengths of both countries' teaching concepts to formulate more comprehensive and in-depth teaching strategies.

5 Optimization Suggestions for the Reference Framework

This section proposes optimization suggestions for the Reference Framework from both overall framework and specific content aspects. Regarding the overall framework, it suggests grading cultural content planning according to different elective situations of Chinese as a first, second, or third foreign language, adding deep cultural themes such as Chinese-foreign social structures and value differences, and further refining teaching stage divisions by grade level. Regarding specific content, it suggests adding critical themes to cultivate students' critical thinking, strengthening Chinese-foreign comparison and "other" perspectives to promote international dissemination of Chinese culture, and supplementing content such as "overseas Chinese," "symbols and signs," and "identity" to enhance overseas Chinese students' cultural identity.

6 Conclusion

Through comparing the French Syllabus and the Reference Framework, this study reveals their similarities and differences in cultural teaching concepts and syllabus design, noting that the latter is more prominent in terms of nature and content, culture-language integration, objective setting, item construction, and assessment methods. NVivo analysis reveals that Chinese and French educational systems and social values differ significantly, reflected in cultural content, framework design, and teaching implementation: the French Syllabus has dispersed content but strong flexibility, with cultural teaching closely integrated with language skills, and the junior high school section providing examples of communicative activities integrating multiple elements; the Reference Framework is systematic and comprehensive, providing support for the localization of international Chinese education. The study suggests further deepening in areas such as course elective mechanisms, grade-level objective articulation, comprehensiveness of cultural elements, and objectivity of teaching assessment to enhance the framework's overseas adaptability and implementation effectiveness.