On January 21st, the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism kicked off in Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Italy. Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian President Sergio Mattarella sent congratulatory letters to the event. Luo Shugang, Chinese minister of Culture and Tourism, attended the opening events along with Chinese delegation. Attending the opening concert at the Auditorium Parco della Musica were a total of 2,500 guests, including President of the Italian Senate Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Dario Franceschini, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Junhua, and Italian Ambassador to China Luca Ferrari.
The opening concert was jointly staged by Italian Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and China National Symphony Orchestra. The high-level collaboration between Chinese and Italian artists on classical melody from both sides featured excellent skills and marvelous performance, which gave rise to a feast of arts to guests present that day and vividly reflected the dialogue and mutual learning between two great ancient civilizations, and the exchange and integration of oriental and occidental cultures. The concert received long-lasting applause when it came to an end amid the classic opera, The Lady of the Camellias. After the concert, the dazzling fireworks in Rome’s sky marked the concluding of the opening events.
In the day, Luo Shuagang and Dario Franceschini jointly attended the China-Italy Tourism Forum and the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition of China-Italy World Heritage under the theme of “Ancient Civilizations and Tourism Scenic Spots-China-Italy Cooperation of Culture and Tourism in New Era”.
Francesco Rutelli, the Italian coordinator of the Sino-Italian cultural cooperation, presided over the China-Italy tourism forum. Nearly 400 people, including leaders and relevant personnel from Chinese and Italian cultural, tourism, sports, S&T and transport sectors, participated in the forum. Du Jiang, General Manager of China Tourism Group (CTG), Pansy Ho, vice chairman of Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), Chen Rong, Chairman of China Travel Service Co., Ltd., Yao Jun, General Manager of Overseas Chinese Town Holdings Company, Jane Jie, CEO of Trip.Com Group Ltd., Ge Yujing, vice president of Tuniu.com, Lorenza Bonaccorsi, undersecretary of Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, Giovanni Malagò, president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Giorgio Palmucci, president of the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT), and Mattia Palazzi, mayor of Mantua engaged in discussions on the topics of “dialogue between civilization and tourism exchanges”, “intelligent tourism in an innovative era” and “social background and sustainable development of tourism”.
As the outstanding representatives among the Eastern and Western ancient civilizations, China and Italy jointly rank first in the world with 55 world heritages inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in both countries. The photo exposition of China-Italy World Heritages exhibited 110 pieces of photos depicting rich and profound cultural deposits, and attractive natural scenery and cultural landscapes of the two sides.
During the year of culture and tourism, both sides will carry out the cooperation throughout the whole year with more than 100 colorful activities, ranging from performing arts and visual arts to cultural heritage, tourism and creative design.