Hearing French living at Beijing's Qianmen

2026.10.22

The refinement of French living often lies in a sense of restraint. Materials stand the test of time; craftsmanship invites the touch; objects find their natural place in everyday life. Luxury, then, does not depend on layers of ornament, but on the care with which every detail is conceived and finished.

From 14 to 18 October 2026, the tenth-anniversary special edition of Art de Vivre à la française was held at the Qianmen Reception Hall in Beijing. Co-organised by Business France and Chang Xiang Li, the exhibition brought together 27 distinguished French brands.

Inspired by Paris, Lyon, Alsace and Normandy, its scenography wove together craftsmanship, interiors, jewellery, gastronomy and sound into a multidimensional narrative of French art de vivre.

H.E. Bertrand Lortholary, Ambassador of France to China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered an address. Myriam Pavageau, Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of France in China, was among the distinguished guests, marking an occasion for cultural and aesthetic exchange between France and China.

As Waterfall Audio’s master distributor in China, ZENE presented the French brand at the exhibition.

Amid thoughtfully composed settings designed to be inhabited, touched and admired, Waterfall brought a further dimension to the experience: sound. Here, French acoustic engineering, craftsmanship and spatial aesthetics met in the autumn courtyards of Qianmen.

Where Sound Becomes Art in Space

In autumn, Qianmen’s old brickwork, wooden windows and courtyards settle into a quiet rhythm. Waterfall loudspeakers stand among them, catching the light and giving sound a visible presence.

Their transparent glass enclosures shed the visual weight of conventional audio equipment, allowing light and sightlines to pass through while preserving the character of the surrounding interiors. Each is both a high-fidelity loudspeaker and a contemporary design object, contributing to the architectural and interior narrative of a space.

Founded in 1996, Waterfall Audio has spent three decades exploring the relationship between glass and sound, refining its designs through four generations of products.

Glass is far more than an aesthetic choice: high-density tempered glass offers exceptional rigidity and structural stability. Waterfall’s proprietary JETSTREAM acoustic technology manages the energy behind the drivers within the enclosure, mechanically decoupling the driver units from the glass structure. By reducing unwanted vibration and distortion, it helps preserve the clarity, definition and natural texture of sound. All driver units are manufactured in France by ATOHM, the French specialist in high-end loudspeaker engineering.

Luxury, Made Tangible in Every Detail

Waterfall’s idea of luxury extends far beyond the first impression. It resides equally in its materials, manufacture and tactile qualities. The Niagara XT series brings together a seamless glass enclosure, solid aluminium, carefully selected French timber and supple Nappa leather.

The walnut and oak used for its high-frequency horns are selected from French forests, precision-machined on five-axis CNC equipment in Lyon, then given a satin finish by hand. No two pairs have exactly the same wood grain. The Niagara XT1’s walnut horn also features ten hand-applied layers of high-gloss lacquer, in a nod to the craftsmanship of classic studio loudspeakers.

This meticulous approach extends to personalisation. A choice of 25 Nappa leather colours, solid-wood finishes and RAL colours allows each loudspeaker to respond to the palette, materials and proportions of its surroundings.

Every pair — bringing together glass, wood, metal and leather — takes on an identity of its own within the space it inhabits. From the distinctive Eiffel Tower-inspired bases of the Iguascu XT and Victoria XT to the wooden and glass horns of the Niagara XT series, Waterfall’s evolving design language retains a French identity that is unmistakable yet understated.

True refinement is not about allowing an object to dominate a room, but about creating a dialogue between the two. With their transparent, visually light forms, Waterfall loudspeakers integrate naturally into luxury homes, private listening rooms, boutique hotels and art-led commercial interiors. When music plays, they make their presence felt through sound; when it stops, their sculptural silhouettes remain part of everyday life.

The Exhibition Ends. The Listening Continues.

Beyond the exhibition rooms lie the warm brickwork and timber of historic Qianmen; within the halls are contemporary creations of glass, metal, leather and sound.

Old and new coexist without competing, meeting in the same autumn light. Together, they invite us to reconsider the relationship between audio and the spaces we inhabit. A loudspeaker need not remain simply a piece of equipment placed in a room. It can become part of the interior, accompany daily life and, on an otherwise ordinary afternoon, offer a reason to pause and listen a little longer.

The five-day exhibition has now drawn to a close, and the play of light and shadow in Qianmen’s courtyards has returned to stillness. Yet the conversation around sound, design and French art de vivre continues. An encounter at the exhibition is only a beginning; truly attentive listening belongs in a more unhurried setting, one closer to the rhythms of everyday life.

We invite you to visit ZENE’s Beijing showroom to experience the materials, craftsmanship and soundstage of Waterfall’s glass loudspeakers at close quarters. Here, sound moves beyond the exhibition into a real living environment, allowing a French-made work of acoustic design to find its natural place in daily life.

Waterfall founders Cédric Aubriot and Nadine Aubriot came to ZENE. As Waterfall Audio’s master distributor in China, ZENE will continue to bring French acoustic innovation, manufacturing craftsmanship and design aesthetics to homes and commercial spaces across the country. Through professionally engineered system solutions and dedicated service, every listening experience can stay faithful to the music and in harmony with the character of its setting.

Art de Vivre at Qianmen Reception Hall

Jewellery and craft on display

Interiors on display

Tableware on display

Gastronomy on display

A living setting in the exhibition

Ambassador Bertrand Lortholary

At the opening

Ambassador Lortholary with the Waterfall founders

Ryan presents Waterfall to Myriam Pavageau

Waterfall speakers in a French living setting

Hurricane EVO on display

A conversation at the exhibition

A glass-enclosure loudspeaker

Light passing through the glass enclosure

A Waterfall glass loudspeaker

Glass enclosure and drivers

Drivers and the glass structure

Drivers made in France

Edge of the glass enclosure

Niagara XT Nappa leather and aluminium

Niagara XT material detail

Walnut horn

Timber and finishes

Navy Nappa leather

Brown Nappa leather

A glass horn

Wooden horns in the workshop

Glass loudspeakers in a living room

Loudspeakers in a French living room

An autumn day outside the hall

A pair of glass floorstanders

Glass loudspeakers at home

A glass loudspeaker indoors

A Waterfall founder at the ZENE showroom