Pierre Alivon poses for a picture in front of his 2019 sculpture Hope. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Symbolic of "the pure energy and honesty of the soul", the image of the dragon was first used in his 2019 statue Hope, also featuring the ancient Chinese legendary figure Nyuwa, the creator of human beings.

"We all have the dragon's energy in us, but to release it, we must believe in a brotherly world or fraternity among people," said Alivon, who added that fraternity, the founding principle of his country, has been an important message in his work.

To promote the values he believes in, Alivon also created ART520, a blog on the Chinese messaging app WeChat. There he shares his photographic work of common people that he has captured around the world, as well as his interviews in artists' studios.

The sculptor wants to donate a copy of Dragon to a museum. He is also looking for sponsors who can help produce more copies of the sculpture and give them as gifts to people who have done a lot for the community, such as the nursing staff.

"France loves China, and I am very happy to bring the two cultures together through my work, and at the moment to express my solidarity with Chinese people," he said.