The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, as well as the 700th anniversary of the passing of Marco Polo. As an important initiative to promote cultural and tourism exchange between China and Italy, and to practice the Global Civilization Initiative, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism dispatched a cultural delegation from February 1 to 3, organizing the "Hello, Beijing" cultural and tourism promotion event at the China Visa Application Service Center in Rome. The delegation participated in the Chinese Lunar New Year reception hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and took part in the multicultural tour in Florence, showcasing the charming traditional Chinese culture to the Italian people, further consolidating and deepening the profound friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries.
On the morning of February 2, the "Hello, Beijing" cultural and tourism promotion event, co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the China National Tourist Office in Rome with the support of the Embassy of China in Italy, was held at the China Visa Application Service Center in Rome. Representatives from local travel agencies in Rome, Italian citizens applying for Chinese visas on-site, representatives from Chinese-funded institutions such as Hainan Airlines and Bank of China, as well as media representatives from Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily attended the event. The guests enjoyed performances of Kunqu Opera and Guqin, experienced intangible cultural heritage projects such as Beijing embroidery, incense art, tea ceremony, face-changing, and paper cutting, and viewed the "Hello, Beijing" photo exhibition, immersing themselves in the cityscape of Beijing while experiencing Chinese culture.
Chen Jianyang, Director of the China National Tourist Office in Rome, said in his speech that China and Italy, both being ancient civilizations, have a close cooperation in tourism exchange. Prior to the pandemic, Italy was China's third largest inbound tourism market in Europe. After the pandemic, the tourism markets of both countries have been gradually recovering and warming up, with increasing personnel exchanges. The number of civil aviation flights between the two countries has exceeded the level of 2019. In order to provide more channels and convenience for foreign tourists to visit China, China has actively adjusted its visa and entry policies for foreigners coming to China. It has implemented a unilateral visa exemption policy for six countries, including Italy, reducing the time and economic costs of personnel exchanges between the two countries and injecting warmth into the inbound tourism market.
The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism introduced the "Beijing New Discoveries" inbound tourism routes to the attending travel agents, media, and visa applicants, and highlighted the efforts made by Beijing to enhance the quality of international services. Promotional materials such as the "Beijing New Discoveries" inbound tourism product brochure, Beijing intangible cultural heritage brochure, Alipay and WeChat international payment guide, and Xiushui Market shopping guide were distributed on-site. On February 2, which happened to be Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve, nine guests were randomly selected and presented with handmade sachets of intangible cultural heritage, symbolizing the wishes for good luck and vitality in the Year of the Dragon.
On the afternoon of February 2, more than 600 people attended the event, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations hosted a Chinese Lunar New Year reception at its headquarters in Rome, Italy. Dr. Qu Dongyu, the Director-General of FAO, Jia Guide, the ambassador of the People’s Republic Of China to Italy, representatives of Permanent Representation of China to FAO and Ambassador Guang Defu, as well as resident representatives of member countries, diplomats from various countries, heads of international organizations, and senior officials of FAO. The venue was adorned with red lanterns and auspicious Chinese knots, creating a lively and festive atmosphere with laughter and joy.
This was the first time for FAO to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Director-General Qu Dongyu delivered a passionate speech, emphasizing the long and splendid cultural traditions of the Chinese Lunar New Year and its rich cultural heritage. He pointed out that in December of last year, the United Nations General Assembly officially adopted a resolution designating the Lunar New Year as a UN holiday, which will strongly promote the implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative, encourage respect for global cultural diversity, facilitate exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and demonstrate the values of equality and mutual respect among all civilizations.
The Beijing cultural delegation performed traditional Chinese cultural arts such as Tai Chi, tea art, and paper-cutting, receiving enthusiastic applause from the audience. The participants showed great interest in tasting tea, tried their hand at paper-cutting, expressing a strong interest in the customs of the Chinese Lunar New Year and Chinese traditional culture.
On February 3, with strong support from the Consulate General of China in Florence, the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino, in collaboration with Italian Association for the Study of Chinese Yanhuang Culture and several cultural institutions, co-hosted the "Multicultural Rhythm Tour" performing arts event. Lorenzo Falchi, the Mayor of Sesto Fiorentino, Guan Zhongqi, the Acting Consul General of the Consulate of China in Florence, Zhang Qian, the head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism delegation, and He Jianjue, the President of the Italian Association for the Study of Chinese Yanhuang Culture, along with nearly a thousand overseas Chinese and local Italian citizens, attended the event.
The Beijing cultural delegation, together with the local population who love Chinese culture, presented a splendid feast of Chinese culture. Wang Peng, a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage project Guqin, performed with flute and xiao player Liu Xiaogang, and Gao Chongyan, the all-around champion of the National Wushu Routine Championship in Tai Chi Sword, jointly performed "Ping Sha Luo Yan." Young actors Zhu Bingzhen and Wang Chen from the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre performed an excerpt from the Kunqu Opera "The Peony Pavilion: Startled Dream." Many audience members expressed that it was their first time watching performances of Guqin and Kunqu Opera, and they were deeply impressed by the distinctive Eastern aesthetics and artistic conception. Intangible cultural heritage projects such as Beijing embroidery, tea ceremony, incense art, paper-cutting, and mask making attracted many spectators to watch and participate in the experience. The "Hello, Beijing" photo exhibition also showcased the ancient charm and modern style of Beijing, providing Italian people with a more intuitive understanding and experience.
China and Italy are outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, leaving indelible marks in the history of human civilization. A civilization can flourish only through exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations. The successful hosting of this series of events has greatly deepened the Italian people's understanding and recognition of Chinese culture, promoted the exchange and mutual learning between the two great civilizations, deepened the exchange and cooperation in the cultural and tourism fields between the two countries, and built a bridge of communication between the two peoples. Many Italian people expressed after the event, "Through this experience of Chinese culture, we have fallen in love with China and Beijing. We must go to China in the future to feel the charm of Chinese culture!"
