The year 2024 marks the 700th anniversary of the passing of Marco Polo, the "pioneer of Sino-Western cultural exchange and a great envoy." To commemorate this significant figure and to promote the continuous friendly cultural exchange between China and Italy, China National Publications Import & Export Corporation Limited, in collaboration with the Straits Publishing & Distributing Group and the National Library of Saint Mark in Venice, Italy, are jointly hosting the “Seek and Explore” Marco Polo’s Wondrous Journey -In Memory of 700th Anniversary of Marco Polo’s Passing Cultural and Creative Exhibition. This event has also received attention and strong support from the Venice Municipal Government and the Comitato Nazionale per le celebrazioni del settimo centenario della morte di Marco Polo (1324).
The exhibition is composed of six sections: "Influence" "Impressions" "Ciao" "Truth" "Imagination" and "Set Sail", starting from books and text, delving into the content of The Travels of Marco Polo, extracting the humanistic spirit of "exploration and knowledge-seeking," and showcasing original artistic illustrations and precious collections of the Travels of Marco Polo from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana and the Shanghai Library.
By employing cutting-edge technologies such as Mixed Reality (MR) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC), the exhibition creates a blend of virtual and reality, a cultural and creative exhibition that travels "from the book to the future." Utilizing a "culture + technology" approach, it leads the public, especially the generation Z, to understand and explore the unique Chinese culture, and to experience Marco Polo's spirit of daring exploration and bold pursuit of knowledge. This exhibition is a public welfare, civilian cultural exchange activity aimed at enhancing mutual cultural understanding and recognition between the peoples of the two countries and promoting friendly cultural exchanges and innovation between China and Italy.
Section One, "Influence", features precious collections from the National Library of Saint Mark, showcasing the enlightenment and impact Marco Polo brought to the world through "publishing", whereas Section Two, titled "Impressions", This section selects five important cities on Marco Polo's journey through China: Tangout (present-day Dunhuang), Cambaluc (present-day Beijing), Quinsay (present-day Hangzhou), Fuguy (present-day Fuzhou), and Caiton (present-day Quanzhou). Through the reproduction of ancient texts from the Shanghai Library, as well as artistic illustration decorations, visitors can experience the charm of Chinese cities as perceived by Marco Polo.
With Section Three, "Ciao", a 3D digital human avatar of Marco Polo acts as a digital cultural envoy, who narrates his life story in multiple languages including Chinese, English, and Italian, offering a novel way of greetings for the audience. "Truth" is the MR mixed reality interactive experience area and the core highlight of the exhibition: here, visitors wear MR headsets and travel through a "doorway" in the virtual world, experiencing and appreciating natural and cultural landscapes with distinct Chinese characteristics such as the Yardan landform, the thousand sails of the canal transportation, the thousand-mile river and mountains, and Fujian Tulou buildings. Through interactive experiences, visitors are invited to search for Marco Polo's presence within.
Section Five, "Imagination", displays artistic works created in collaboration with the content of The Travels of Marco Polo and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC) technology, stimulating the audience's imagination for future civilizations and cities. The exhibition finishes with "Set Sail", which is Section Six, and such end signifies a new beginning. A special message box and postcard are set up for visitors to leave messages. After the exhibition, these messages from overseas visitors will "drift" back to China for a continued tour.
As a continuation of this commemorative event, Seek and Explore. Marco Polo’s Wondrous Journey - In Memory of 700th Anniversary of Marco Polo’s Passing Cultural and Creative Exhibition will return to China for a tour, allowing the seeds of cultural exchange and integration between China and Italy to take root and flourish on this ancient land in the East, wishfully blossoming into new flowers and bringing us more cultural inspiration and spiritual wealth.
