Lang Lang awarded prestigious French arts medal

Pianist Lang Lang has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Arts and Letters at the annual MIDEM conference in Cannes. He was presented with the medal on Sunday by the French minister of culture and communication, Aurélie Filippetti.

Posting on Twitter last night, Lang Lang said: "Tonight, I was honored by the French Minister of Culture & decorated as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres." Ms Filippetti commented: "When he arrived in France, everyone started listening to piano pieces."

The College of Arts and Letters was established in 1957 to reward distinguished achievement in the arts world. Previous winners of the medal include Steven Spielberg and George Clooney.

Lang Lang appeared extremely honoured to receive the medal: "I hope to import more Chinese elements in France and allow them to be incorporated in the works of French artists."