Shared history stretching back centuries highlighted

China and Italy on quest to strengthen ties through cultural efforts on 20th anniversary of strategic partnership

In a year marked by significant anniversaries and renewed diplomatic vigor, China and Italy have embarked on a series of cultural and people-to-people exchanges that underscore the deep-rooted connections between the two nations. Recent initiatives highlight a shared commitment to enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation in various fields.

Yuan Mindao, vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, recently met with an Italian delegation led by Tiziana Primori, CEO of FICO Eataly World, in Beijing. Both sides exchanged views on promoting grassroots exchanges and enhancing mutual understanding between the Chinese and Italian peoples.

Yuan emphasized that the CPAFFC values the development of friendly relations with Italy. Taking this year's 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership as an opportunity, he expressed a willingness to work with people from all sectors in Italy to deepen cultural exchanges and local cooperation.

The Italian delegation thanked the CPAFFC for its warm reception, highlighted China's significant achievements in economic and social development, and praised the role of the CPAFFC in promoting China-Italy friendship.

They expressed a willingness to maintain close communication and coordination to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of both countries.

A groundbreaking development in this relationship is China's extended unilateral visa-free policy for Italian citizens, effective from Dec 1,2023 to Dec 31, 2025. It allows Italian travelers to visit China for up to 15 days without a visa for purposes including business, tourism and visiting relatives. This initiative is expected to bring increased travel and interaction and boost deeper cultural and economic ties.

Sergio Bernardini, who is responsible for the functional diagnostic laboratory area at the Policlinico Tor Vergata hospital affiliated with the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, frequently travels between Italy and China. In his journey to Sichuan province and other regions in China in March, he said that the visa-free policy not only helped his work but promoted exchanges between Italian and Chinese scholars.

"I hope to establish closer ties with my Chinese colleagues and contribute to strengthening Italy-China relations," he said.

Gianpaolo Camaggio, founder and managing director of Sinoglobal Investments Advisory, was based in China during 2008-14, heading up the tax division of a leading Italian law firm in Beijing and later as managing director of an international tax and accounting consultancy headquartered in Shanghai. He sees the new visa-free policy as beneficial to himself and his clients.

"Economic activities place great importance on timing and efficiency. The visa-free policy helps increase Italian businesses' interest in the Chinese market and makes exchanges between Italian and Chinese business circles more convenient, thereby creating more opportunities for cooperation," he said.

Camaggio observed that many of his Italian colleagues have recently traveled to China for business under the visa-free policy. "China's phased reduction of visa fees for foreigners and the implementation of five measures to facilitate foreign personnel's entry into China demonstrate China's commitment to expanding its openness, which will invigorate China's economy," he noted.

Tourism has been a pivotal aspect of the cultural exchanges, with Italy being a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Before the pandemic, the number of Chinese tourists in Italy reached more than 5.3 million in 2019.

Marco Polo

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo (1254-1324), a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who is best known for his travels to Asia. Both China and Italy are commemorating him through various cultural activities.

Recently, the iconic Doge's Palace in Venice welcomed a collection of precious Chinese artifacts from the Shanghai Museum. These artifacts, along with other exhibits, aim to recreate the journey of Polo to the Far East.

The exhibition, titled The Worlds of Marco Polo. The Journey of A 13th-Century Venetian Merchant, opened on April 5 and will run until Sept 29. It traces Polo's journey from Venice to the Far East, illustrating the timeless allure of the Silk Road. The Shanghai Museum has provided 48 artifacts for the exhibition, including ceramics, lacquerware, silk fabrics, gold and silver items, jade, seals and coins.

Invited by the Italian side, the Shanghai Museum is participating as one of the co-organizers of the exhibition. Chiara Squarcina, the exhibition's curator and director of the Foundation of Civil Museums of Venice, said the Shanghai Museum possesses many artifacts closely related to Polo's journey. This is their first collaboration with a Chinese museum centered on commemorating Polo.

Wang Yue, a curator from the Shanghai Museum responsible for this exhibition, explained that from June 2023 to March, Chinese and Italian organizers jointly selected exhibits and coordinated the exhibition sections and layout.

"Our goal was aligned: to present the social, cultural and economic aspects of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) China during Marco Polo's time, showcasing the material cultural achievements of 13th-century China and its open, inclusive and diverse society," said Wang.

Such is the curators' attention to detail that the Renaissance and Mannerist features of the palace's interior design complement the precious artifacts from China. Wang highlighted that a blue-and-white porcelain vase with a peony scroll design and a white-glazed bowl with Sanskrit inscriptions are representative of the Yuan Dynasty's style.

The chief curator of the exhibition expressed her fondness for blue-and-white porcelain and the guqin, a traditional seven-stringed zither, among the Chinese artifacts on display. "Blue-and-white porcelain is one of the most representative artifacts of Chinese cultural art, while the guqin reflects a more vivid form of cultural exchange," she said.

At the exhibition site, many visitors listened to the story of Polo's travels through guided tours. Squarcina noted that Doge's Palace is a symbol of Venice and a must-see for tourists from around the world.

The collaboration between Chinese and Italian museums includes the exchange of exhibits. After the exhibition in Venice concludes, related exhibits will be displayed at the Shanghai Museum in a similarly themed exhibition.

"We will send some Italian artifacts to China for exhibition, hoping to maintain close cooperation with the Chinese side and jointly explore new projects," Squarcina said.

Both China and Italy possess rich tangible and intangible cultural heritage resources, and can complement each other in museum operations, exhibition planning and artifact preservation.

"Through collaborative exhibitions, we can broaden the audience base, especially reaching more people interested in foreign cultures, making it easier for them to appreciate different histories, traditions and values at their doorstep," Wang added.

In recent years, China-Italy cultural exchanges have expanded to include joint film productions, museum collaborations and educational exchanges. Notable projects include the restoration of cultural heritage sites, such as a collaboration on the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, and the increasing number of academic partnerships between Chinese and Italian universities.

wangjinhui@chinadaily.com.cn