Jia Zhangke, one of China's leading contemporary filmmakers, was awarded the French Legion of Honor Monday for his contributions to the world cinema.

Jia, a Beijing Film Academy graduate, started directing movies in 1995. His early masterpiece Pickpocket (1997) was hailed by the leading French movie magazine Cahiers du Cinema as the one that showed the revival and vigor of Chinese films.

In the award ceremony, French Ambassador to China Herve Ladsous said Jia was an artist who promoted Chinese culture with his talent and hard work.

French directors, including Robert Bresson, Jean-Luc Godard and Leos Carax, are said to have deep influence on Jia's filmmaking.

Jia's documentary Useless was partly shot in France in 2006. He was the President of the Cinefondation & short films Jury of the 60th Cannes Film Festival.

During the ceremony, Qiao Chengwei, vice director of the Alliance francaise de Pekin, and Wang Lujiang, party secretary of the Beijing Language and Culture University, were also awarded the honor for their outstanding work in promoting French language study in China.

Founded in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, Legion of Honor is the highest honor awarded by the French government to those who made outstanding contributions to France.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2009)