FLORENCE, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Traditional Chinese culture was front-and-center at the Chinese-Italian Traditional Cultural Exchange and Heritage Exhibition held in Florence last week. Commencing with a welcome reception attended by Chinese and Italian guests in academia and the arts, the exhibition also celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Italy.
The main event sponsor, Fantasy Westward Journey Online, is an RPG from NetEase Games, which has acquired 360 million users with 2.71 million concurrent users at its peak. Based on classic Chinese folklore, it immerses gamers into intangible cultures through various in-game features and activities. Companies like NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) have been trying to revive intangible cultures and attract a younger generation in the form of interactive entertainment.
The reception, Craft Your Dream: Preserve China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, was attended by Italian guests including Tommaso Sacchi, Minister of Culture, Fashion & Design, and Michele Rossi, Culture Dept., Municipality of Florence; Eugenio Giani, President of Tuscuny Region Counsi, etc.
The four-day event presented the charm and beauty of Chinese traditions and advanced cultural exchanges between China and Italy. Sponsors included Fantasy Westward Journey, the Associazione dello sviluppo culturale in italia and N.O.I Internazionale culturale e Arte Associazione and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, Central Academy of Fine Arts.
The Exchange featured several speakers including:
- Professor Pierpaolo Ramotto of Accademia di Belle Arti’s Oil Painting Department, who explored the relationship between new media and traditional arts in Eastern and Western cultures and expressed his desire to study art in China.
- Yao Lu, Professor of Photography, Central Academy of Arts, who discussed the phenomenon of creative language through photography.
- Professor Cheng Kezhen, Central Academy of Arts, who provided an animation class, said that while “all things are laid out by God, what matters is people’s perspectives.”
- Zhang Zhaogong, Director, Future Media Game Studio, Central Academy of Arts, who discussed the boundary between games and reality, said NetEase “intended to involve students from the two countries in preserving traditional cultures.”