Athens/Rome, September 29th (Xinhua) — From September 25th to 28th local time, the “Encounter and Appreciation” civilization exchange and mutual learning activities were held in Athens, Greece, and Venice and Rome, Italy. Representatives from the governments, academia, and cultural fields of China, Greece, Italy, and other European countries exchanged ideas on topics such as mutual learning of civilizations and urban development.
On September 27th, in Venice, Italy, attending guests watched a cultural performance at the “Canal Sailing Civilization Mutual Learning” China Europe Canal City Civilization Dialogue. Shen Jizhong
On the morning of the 25th, at the “Ancient City New Charm – Chongqing Dialogue with Athens” urban civilization dialogue event held in Athens, Athens Deputy Mayor Nikos Kisoglos stated that Athens and Chongqing are both historical and cultural cities, surrounded by mountains and waters, and have many similarities. Athens looks forward to further deepening cooperation with Chongqing.
Zhao Deming, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Civilized Office of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, said that Chongqing is fully involved in the construction of the “the Belt and Road”, and is striving to create an inland open highland and a beautiful place with beautiful scenery. He extended an invitation to the Greek guests present to ‘share appreciation’ in cultural tourism, ‘win-win’ in economic and trade industries, and ‘progress’ in mutual learning of civilizations.
On September 25th, in Athens, Greece, guests visited the “New Charm of Ancient City – Chongqing Dialogue with Athens” urban civilization dialogue event. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mario Rollos)
On the afternoon of the 25th, the exhibition “World Memory Peace Vision – The Road to Peaceful Development under Urban Memory” was held in Athens. This is the first time that the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese invaders has entered Greece to hold an exhibition. The exhibition revolves around three dimensions: history, civilization, and peace. Through more than 170 historical pictures, 40 sets of physical exhibits, and interactive installations of videos, audios, and scenes, it comprehensively presents the process of Nanjing’s rebirth from the trauma of the Holocaust.
After visiting the Modern Greek Historical Picture Archive, Efimios Ziknis said that the “Nanjing Massacre Archive” has been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, and it is gratifying that this period of history has received worldwide attention.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Europe, as well as the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy. On the 27th, the “Canal Sailing Civilization Mutual Learning” China Europe Canal City Civilization Dialogue was held in Venice, Italy. The President of the University of Venice, Li Jiya, said that Venice and Yangzhou are closely linked due to Marco Polo, and he hopes that both sides will continue to be committed to dialogue and cooperation.
On September 25th, in Athens, Greece, actors performed Sichuan opera face changing at the “New Charm of Ancient City – Chongqing Dialogue with Athens” urban civilization dialogue event. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mario Rollos)
Zhou Xin, the director of the Yangzhou Historical and Cultural City Research Institute, said that the canal is like a ribbon that spans time and space, with one end connected to the Venetian water lanes in Italy and the other end leading to the ancient canal of Yangzhou, China. Yangzhou adheres to the people-oriented concept and continues the traditional way of life of the ancient city through modern means. I hope the dialogue between the protection of ancient cities and cultural heritage can continue for a long time, making the bond of mutual learning between Chinese and European civilizations more solid.
On the 28th, the “2025 China Italy Urban Civilization Dialogue” was held in Rome, where experts and scholars from the governments, universities, think tanks, and urban management institutions of China and Italy exchanged ideas on the theme of “cultural heritage continuity and urban civilization construction”.
On September 25th, in Athens, Greece, visitors watched photos at the exhibition “World Memory Peace Vision – The Road to Peaceful Development under Urban Memory”. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mario Rollos)
Lin Shangli, President of Renmin University of China, said in his speech that the values of “harmony in diversity” in Chinese civilization are interconnected with those of “diversity and unity” in European civilization. China and Italy should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in cultural heritage protection, urban governance, sustainable development and other fields, and jointly cultivate young talents with international perspectives.
Maria Moreni, President of the Italy China Exchange Association, stated that cities, as carriers of civilization, deserve to learn from each other’s development experiences. She hopes to take this dialogue as an opportunity to further expand pragmatic cooperation between the two sides in the fields of culture, education, innovation, etc., and promote more city pairing and cultural exchange projects to be implemented.
On September 27th, in Venice, Italy, guests attended the “Canal Sailing Civilization Mutual Learning” China Europe Canal City Civilization Dialogue event. Shen Jizhong
At the results release stage, the “China Italy Urban Civilization Joint Research Center” was officially established.
The event in Greece was co sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council of China, the National Cutural Heritage Administration of China, the Chinese Embassy in Greece, the Athens Municipal Government, etc. The event in Italy is jointly organized by the State Council Information Office of China, the Chinese Embassy in Italy, and the “Friends of China” Association of the Italian Parliament.