During the year of the commemoration of the seven hundred years after the passing of Marco Polo, who first explored the “Eastern” market and did part of his adventures by sea, the Venice Boat Show, which takes place from the 29th of May to the 2nd of June 2024, honours the renowned Venetian traveller by dedicating him a series of events.
Starting the day dedicated to Marco Polo the meeting “How famous is Marco Polo in China?”, held by Professor Hu Lanbo from the magazine Italia/Cina and by Danilo Riponti at the Arena for a Tree installation. During the event, it was explained how Marco Polo is seen in China, both as a historical figure and as a bridge of culture connecting Italy and China, which culturally share some features like, for example, the love for family or cuisine. After reaching the Far East passing through the Chinese provinces of Xinjiang, and Gansu and stretching to Hangzhou, situated in the current province of Zhejiang, the renowned Venetian, as underlined by the lecturers, is now considered by Italians as a symbol of diplomacy and peace. In China, this perception is spreading as well, above all thanks to some projects that allow Chinese students to study in Italy, such as the "Marco Polo Program", and also to the increasing circulation of the book Il Milione, Polo’s accounts of his travels.
The conference “Maritime Geopolitics of China in the Era of Marco Polo” was held in the Sommergibile Dandolo Area at 4 PM and saw the contribution of prestigious panellists like Admiral Roberto Domini, General Massimo Mattozzi and Danilo Riponti. The conference’s main topic was the power of China at the maritime level during the historic period of Polo's arrival, highlighting the characteristics and the perception of the character of the Venetian explorer, as well as the main traits of the history of maritime geopolitics, the maritime expeditions of the ‘admiral’ Zheng He and the tempted sea attack to Japan by Kublai Khan.
According to what was reported during the conference, we are used to linking the figure of Marco Polo to that of an ordinary merchant, when in fact he should be considered a man of great diplomacy and great communication ability. Attention was also drawn to how close to becoming the world’s first maritime power China has been, despite some circumstances and the philosophy of the Chinese culture ultimately impeded it.
Furthermore, many children had the opportunity to take part in different educational activities and laboratories, such as “Do you want to play with the language that Marco Polo learned?”: by going over a map of Marco Polo’s travels, a teacher held a laboratory for kids on the Chinese language in the Sommergibile Dandolo Area. Following, animated readings on Marco Polo and his wonderful journey were performed at Pontile Scali, curated by the artist Anita Possamai and actor Sandro Buzzatti.
Other artistic installations dedicated to the Venetian traveller were also open for visits. In the gardens of Spazio Thetis, visitors could admire “The Path of Marco Polo”, by Simone Meneghello and Robert Phillips, which honours the explorer on the 700th anniversary of his passing. The installation is a sort of conceptual journey through the past, an exploration of memory and absence. Through several books without any title, it traces an ideal path that starts at the Venice Arsenal and unfolds west to east for thirty meters, counting 50 encyclopedic books that display parts of “Il Milione” by Polo.
Daniele Massaro instead brought to Tesa 91 his “Sigh of Eternal”, which represents the representative pole of Venice's noble palaces, already shown in paintings from the sixteenth century. The artwork was born from a Bricola, which was first an oak tree that grew in wood for 100-150 years, with its vital lymph carrying the memory of life in the mountains. Today, with its cracks and signs of erosion, it tells the story of its existence and, just like a modern Cinderella, transforms itself from ugly and dirty into an elegant and refined artefact.