The China-Italy Cultural Encyclopedia . Art (Chinese and Italian editions) was launched at the National Convention Center during the 32nd Beijing International Book Fair that concluded on June 21.
Initiated by Italian ambassador to China Massimo Ambrosetti and promoted by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Pechino, the book was jointly produced by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House and Istituto Treccani, or the Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia, to present the millennia-old civilizations of the two countries.
In his speech, Federico Roberto Antonelli, the cultural counselor to the Italian embassy in China, said the book is a milestone achievement in Sino-Italian cultural cooperation. He emphasized its high academic and communicative value, saying that it will be recorded in the history of cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Cultural exchanges and mutual influences between China and Italy can be traced back over two thousand years to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and ancient Roman times, said Peng Feng, chief editor of the Chinese edition and a professor at the School of Arts at Peking University, in a video for the launch event.
Today, cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries have become more extensive and profound. Events, such as Homage to the Virtuosos: From Leonardo da Vinci to Caravaggio — Masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance at the National Art Museum of China and the China Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, are vivid examples of this cooperation, he said.
"The book's publication allows readers to appreciate the artistic civilizations of China and Italy from the comfort of their homes and provides a foundational platform for further research and exchange between the two countries," he added.
The Italian side invited Massimo Osanna, the director general of museums at the Ministry of Culture in Italy, to serve as the chief editor of the Italian edition, said Massimo Bray, the general director of Istituto Treccani. It brings together numerous authoritative art historians from both China and Italy to create a work that aims to showcase the outstanding contributions of these two great civilizations to the history of human art, he said.
China and Italy each embody the most mature and typical forms of Eastern and Western classical civilizations. As the two countries with the most world heritage sites globally, their people have similar and resonant perceptions of culture and art, and the China-Italy Cultural Encyclopedia . Art was born from these cultural resonances, said Wen Zheng, a professor of Italian language and literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University, at the launch event.
Through this book, readers can appreciate civilizations and reflect on history while continuously enhancing the long-lasting and profound cultural friendship between China and Italy, he noted.
Gao Shiyi, president of the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, said that the China-Italy Cultural Encyclopedia . Art marks the first cross-border collaboration between the two countries' top authoritative encyclopedia publishers.
He noted that international joint publishing has become a growing trend in the industry. This project was collaboratively researched, created, and compiled by publishing teams from both countries. Setting up an international editorial board facilitates the exchange of academic resources and brand strengths, offering a model for successful transnational publishing cooperation, he said.
