Hangzhou, Verona celebrate five years of friendly relations

Chinese social media such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin have been featuring a drones show and flash mob performance themed on love stories at West Lake last week, which were part of the celebration of the fifth anniversary of friendship-city ties between Hangzhou and the Italian city of Verona.

Italian vocalists Maria Chiara Forte and Stefano Stella cooperated with the faculty from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music to perform the classic "O Sole Mio" and popular Chinese Songs. The drones formed the Verona Arena in the air. Built in the 1st century, it is one of the best-preserved ancient structures of its kind. The drones then gradually transformed into portraits of Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare's love story "Romeo and Juliet" took place in Verona, which is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage city because of its artistic heritage and ancient buildings. The Juliet House Museum is housed in a medieval building in Verona, welcoming visitors from around the world.

Hangzhou's West Lake is also on the UNESCO heritage list. In the story "The Butterfly Lovers," which is often described as China's "Romeo and Juliet," the two main characters, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, meet in Hangzhou's Wansong Academy and became classmates.

Another ancient love story "Legend of the White Snake" was also set in Hangzhou. It tells of a young scholar who falls in love with a 1,000-year-old white snake that has transformed into a beautiful woman. However, a monk says it is against nature's laws for humans and spirits to fall in love. Then the snake is imprisoned for eternity in the Leifeng Pagoda.

These legends have inspired several Chinese movies and TV series and are still broadcast from time to time. Both Hangzhou and Verona feature enduring love stories, which have built a cultural exchange bridge between the two cities.

In 2019, then Verona Mayor Federico Sboarina led a delegation to visit a series of attractions in Hangzhou and signed the agreement of friendship-city ties with Hangzhou, which heralded a new chapter for both cities.

A cultural exchange center was established at the Wansong Academy under the cooperation of the Verona and Hangzhou governments. It has linked Italy and China and boosted exchange activities over the past five years, including heritage protection, cultural tourism, and economic and trade exhibitions.

The academy, believed to date back as far as the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), has helped spread Confucianism and is known for its classes by eminent scholars.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy. In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Beijing, and Hangzhou Mayor Yao Gaoyuan and Verona Mayor Damiano Tommasi signed the collaboration protocol.

Hangzhou's ties with Italy date back centuries. In the 13th century, during China's Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the young Marco Polo embarked on his life-defining adventure to the East. His recorded experiences opened up a window for the West to know China, which to some degree changed the world. The Venetian merchant and traveler also left behind a detailed chronicle of his experiences in Hangzhou during that period of time. His description of Hangzhou as "the finest and most splendid city in the world" reportedly deepened Westerners' yearning for the East.

In the 17th century, Italian missionary Martino Martini arrived in Hangzhou for pastoral activities and built a church. His work Novus Atlas Sinensis provided the most comprehensive and scientifically accurate map of China at the time, sparking Western interest in Chinese culture and marking a brilliant chapter in Hangzhou's history of international exchanges.

At present, two Italian exhibitions are underway in Hangzhou, namely "Visual Traps: Slide in between Atoms" at the Zhejiang Art Museum through February 13, showing cutting-edge artworks from Sandro Sanna and Donato Piccolo; and "The Perfect Path: Hangzhou, Marco Polo's City of Heaven," held in the gallery of the China Academy of Art through January 10.