When the Orient meets the Occident
By Chen Jie (China Daily)
BEIJING - Although Italy and China established diplomatic relations only 40 years ago, culturally the two empires, located at opposite ends of the Silk Road, have known each other for 2,000 years, Fan Di'an, dean of the National Art Museum of China, said at a press conference in Beijing, where the Chinese Culture Year in Italy was announced on Sept 29.
A visitor looks at artifacts from 17th century Italy during an exhibition about Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit priest and cultural ambassador who lived in China from 1582 until his death in 1610. The exhibition featured in this file photo was held in June and July at the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]
The cultural event will begin on Oct 7 with a concert performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Premier Wen Jiabao and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will attend the opening concert.
Dong Junxin, director of the bureau for external cultural relations at the Ministry of Culture, said the yearlong event will be the largest cultural activity China has launched in Europe following the Chinese Culture Year in France in 2003 and the Europalia China Arts Festival in Belgium in 2009.
"Italy and China both have great history, splendid art and each country has made a significant contribution to world civilization," Dong said.
"Ever since we established a diplomatic relationship in 1970, we've sought to develop all aspects of exchange and communication. The Chinese Culture Year in Italy will be our largest event to date.
"It is not only a platform for showcasing the diversity of Chinese culture to enable the Italians to know more about the Chinese," he explained. "It is also an opportunity to display a confident, open-minded and diverse China."
Riccardo Sessa, Italian ambassador to China, said the Italians and, indeed, many Europeans, knew about China through Marco Polo's pioneering journey to Asia in the 13th century.
He said he hopes the Chinese Culture Year in Italy will present a new opportunity for Italians to learn about not only Chinese culture and history, but also the dynamics of modern China.
Under the baton of Yu Long, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, which Gramophone magazine regards as one of the top 10 symphony orchestras in the world, will perform a concert that combines classical Italian opera and traditional Chinese music.
The first program, East Meets West in Operas, will feature artists from the Peking Opera, who will perform traditional Chinese arias, while the Italian bel canto vocalists will sing arias by Rossini and Puccini.
The renowned violin concerto Butterfly Romance will be performed by the Chinese violinist Lu Siqing, who won first prize in the prestigious Paganini Competition in Italy in 1987.
The program also includes the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi's opera Nabucco, followed by the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower.
In May 2008, the China Philharmonic Orchestra played the same piece under Yu's baton for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
"The orchestra and I feel honored to return to Rome," Yu said in between rehearsals in Beijing. "Music is a unique, universal language that can help people from different nations, races and cultures to understand and respect each other.
"As musicians, we would like to do our part - playing music - to make China and its people, who love peace and pursue happiness, better understood in the world. The program interprets the harmony between China and Italy."
Following the opening concert, the Chinese Culture Year in Italy will feature hundreds of events in music, dance, drama and theater, as well as the folk and visual arts. Exhibitions will form a major part of the event, because Europeans are accustomed to attending museums, said Chen Ping, director of the bureau's Western Europe department, who is in charge of the event.
Fan, who will supervise the exhibitions in Italy, said there is a long history of communication in the visual arts between the two countries, adding the Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), a court painter for more than 50 years during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was the first to bring Western oil painting to China.
In the 20th century, many Chinese artists traveled to Europe to learn oil painting, spending time in both Rome and Florence. Italian oil painting and sculpture have had a great impact on Chinese artists, while Chinese brush painting, calligraphy, architecture and gardening have, in turn, influenced their Italian counterparts.
According to Fan, Italian and Chinese art both have long histories, distinguished traditions and a flair for innovation.
The exhibitions in Italy will try to cover Chinese art throughout history, with each show having a specific theme and focus, she said.
There will also be lectures and seminars where Italians can learn more about Chinese art and culture.
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