(Photo) Pirre Di Sciullo's advertising performance.

(Photo) Paul Cox transformed into a dreamy little village of pink, green, and orange. (Below) A square white neon light in each square house, with gentle tones and subtle light exuding a sense of "Zen."

(Above) "The Secret of Migratory Birds" created by the Les Souffleurs team, where people receive a poetic shock and an extraordinary experience. (Below) The unconventional reflected scene of "The Secret of Migratory Birds."

(Photo) "Bright Night" by the Carabosse art collective — as if stumbling into a grand folk carnival celebration night of the Middle Ages — a theater of fire.

(Above) The magnificent theater of fire. (Below) The magnificent octagonal fountain overlooking the water-and-light phantasmagoria of the grand Ferris wheel.

(Photo) Yolande Zauberman's video art work "Oh Je vous voeux."

(Photo) The spectacular upside-down bus — Generik Vapeur's "Carnac number one."

(Photo) Experimental film "Expanded cinema," parts one, two, and three.

(Above) One of the installation scenes from the famous Zur theater group's "Palarbres" themed performance. (Below) One of the performance scenes from the famous Zur theater group's "Palarbres" themed performance.

Returning to the Saint-Lazare metro station, it was crowded everywhere like a marketplace. Following the crowd into the metro, it was quite convenient — just one stop to Madeleine. Upon exiting, the entire square was a sea of people. One could imagine that the rugby match had ended with the French team winning, and everyone had come out to explore the wondrous magic of "Nuit Blanche." On the square, a curious crowd gathered in a large circle watching artist Pirre Di Sciullo, continuously posting one advertisement after another on the four-sided square billboard panels in an unending performance. This action performance and poetic text advertisement was titled "N importenawak," transforming the messages of political advertising into a kind of poetic poster.

Clearly, this year's "Nuit Blanche" works were not passively eye-catching spectacles for viewing — they all revolved around bodily action, performance, participation, and shared experience. In the market beside the square, artist Paul Cox transformed the space into a dreamy little village of pink, green, and orange, constructed from a series of quite elastic and soft canvas fabrics. A square white neon light in each square house, with gentle tones and subtle light, exuded a sense of "Zen," inviting the audience to wander and stroll. The most attractive part was the narrow alleyways — people all (because of the fabric's softness and elasticity) squeezed through the alleys with their bodies, physically experiencing the material's properties firsthand, a distinctive sensation of bodily traversal.

Arriving at the Madeleine cathedral, there was a long queue. Facing Place de la Concorde with its heavy traffic, it appeared even more poetic under the bewitching lights. The triumphant horns of the French rugby team continued to sound across the street, people frantically waving national flags, shouting "We won!" "We won!" in an elated atmosphere. To find out what "The Secret of Migratory Birds" was, I also joined the queue. After waiting over twenty minutes, I finally entered one by one with the crowd. The church was pitch black, with only a series of intersecting blue fluorescent columns and faintly visible people. When my eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness, I realized that a series of actors stood on elevated positions, each holding a long blue light listening tube, with audiences gathered below. People could listen to the actors secretly confiding their inner thoughts (poetry, literature, philosophy, etc.) to the audience in eight different languages. Sharing and participation became the core of this work, and at the same time, one could receive a poetic shock and an extraordinary experience from "The Secret of Migratory Birds" created by the Les Souffleurs team.

Exiting, it was already past midnight. Continuing toward Place de la Concorde with its bright obelisk, the world's most beautiful and magnificent square came into view. Under the starry sky, tonight seemed especially lively. The square was full of people everywhere, with quite a few tourists beneath the bright obelisk. By the fountain, street performers wielded masterful torches. The bustling Champs-Élysées, the sparkling magnificent Eiffel Tower, the French National Assembly, and the radiant giant Ferris wheel — like a halo above Place de la Concorde — added grandeur and incomparably splendid scenery to the square.

Entering the Tuileries garden from beside the giant Ferris wheel, I arrived at the Carabosse art collective's "Bright Night" — as if entering a grand folk carnival celebration night of the Middle Ages. A magnificent theater of fire: the entire garden's tree-lined paths were dotted with fire torches, totaling 2,000 variously and decoratively shaped torches, forming an extraordinary fiery grand perspective. From diverse linear arrangements, pyramids, circles, columns, suspended forms, and so on, the two large fountains were both fitted with a series of small mechanical torch figures to add charm. The most bewitching scene was gazing from the octagonal fountain toward the distant haloed Ferris wheel — under the double halo of water and light, it was incomparably magnificent, an earthly beauty unforgettable for a lifetime.

Touring the Tuileries garden's theater of fire, the audience also became one of the indispensable actors in the scene — participation as equal to sharing in a wonderful installation, truly extraordinary. The garden was packed with people; it seemed all Parisians had joined this exceptional theater of sparks. Carrying a wonderful mood, I continued onward, passing through the magnificent Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, with the Louvre Pyramid ahead resting peacefully under the starry night.

Arriving at Place Royal in front of the Comédie-Française, the Slam troupe was performing energetically. On three small stages, three actors were performing the modern play "Between Dog and Wolf," spiritedly delivering their lines while devoted fans listened attentively below. On the square near the Louvre, a singing and dancing performance organized by the Paris CNSMDP music conservatory was underway.

Continuing to explore the wonders of "Nuit Blanche," I came to the Pont des Arts between the Louvre and the Institut de France. The bridge was full of young people, groups sitting around drinking late into the night, with a clamor like a marketplace. Whenever the weather is good, every evening until the small hours, this pedestrian bridge becomes a paradise and gathering space for young Parisians to drink. In the very center of the bridge was installed Yolande Zauberman's video art work "Oh Je voeux," in which a series of immigrant figures recounted their inner thoughts and life wisdom of living in France. Not many people on the bridge were genuinely interested in the work; most were simply enjoying the atmosphere of "Nuit Blanche" — all effects of late-night activity. Taking in the late-night riverbank scenery, the streets — especially the cafés — were still fully packed with customers, whether celebrating the French team's triumph or enjoying the atmosphere of "Nuit Blanche."

Arriving at Place du Châtelet, it was already past 3 a.m., with crowds everywhere, especially long queues in front of the theater. Since I was already there, I joined the line to enter, because the theater was screening short films by Michel Gondry, currently recognized worldwide as the best director of music videos and short films. I am no expert in this field, but I like to actively take on the challenge of the new and the parts I am ignorant of — this is a way to expand my own horizons and knowledge. After waiting a little over half an hour to enter, looking around, everyone was young. Curious overage young people like me seemed to have all gone home to sleep. I was quite fortunate to share this popular star's short films with young people — they were indeed wonderful, all featuring famous actors and singers I recognized, captivating imagery, masterful editing, and energetic music that was even more beguiling. There were 20 films in total, receiving the shock of images, sound, and atmosphere, with a feeling of returning fully loaded.

I had wanted to go to the City Hall square to see Pirrick Sorin's unconventional video art, but it was already over and closed. Then I took Line 14 to Bercy. At past 4 a.m., this was my last stop. The streets were much quieter. Coming to the familiar Bercy park, a sparse audience lay and sat on casual canvas chairs (also part of the work) surrounding artist Generik Vapeur's "Carnac number one." An upside-down bus (only noticeable upon careful observation) — under the lighting and inversion — became a launch pad or an extraordinary postmodern monument. One could clearly see the car's frame and wheels, while on the other side, a series of cartoon characters were painted on the car's doors and windows. With the headlights on, two beams of blue light illuminated the sky, accompanied from time to time by sounds of rockets launching and the laughter of cartoon characters, drawing the audience into an extraordinary imaginative space and world.

In front of the stairway waterfall, a large screen was continuously playing one after another the experimental film "Expanded cinema" — an avant-garde exploration through unusual images, colors, collage, and sound, from figurative, non-figurative, and abstract to conceptual symbolic imagery, receiving new audiovisual stimulation and shock, offering people another vision and understanding of cinema.

Walking on the Simone de Beauvoir pedestrian bridge in the deep quiet of the night had a special charm. Arriving at the Bibliothèque nationale de France F. Mitterrand, light, shadow, and an array of performance props constructed an unconventional environmental spatial installation. Each scene installation became an extraordinary play — the famous Zur theater group's "Palarbres" themed performance: performers in period costumes, individually or as a team performing in each installation scene, combining motorized machines, video, music, sound, and light, transforming the entire library platform into a grand stage setting. The library building, under the projection of light and shadow, became the theatrical backdrop. The jubilant atmosphere was one of the most brilliant and dramatic events of this year's "Nuit Blanche." At this hour past 5 a.m., the audience was sparse, yet the few remaining viewers still listened and appreciated with great delight. I immersed myself in it for a long time before reluctantly leaving.

Diving back into Line 14, the empty carriage finally brought me back to the starting point, Olympiades station. Coming out, I curiously circled back to the platform. Images continued to play on the building's wall, but the platform square was quiet under the starry sky — not even a cat was around. Only two security personnel remained. I greeted them for their hard work, chatted briefly, and with a feeling of returning fully loaded, finally left for home at 6:30 in the morning. This year I truly experienced a complete "Nuit Blanche." Though it was impossible to visit everything in one night, I was fully satisfied, and quickly fell into a dream.