'Design China': Chinese artwork exhibited in Italy

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Europe

01:57

Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Italy, an exhibition celebrating the cultural exchanges between the two countries has opened in Rome. The show focused on fashion and design is giving Italians a taste of Chinese creativity.

Familiar sounds on foreign soil. The sound of the Chinese folk classic "Jasmine Flower" marked the start of the exhibition "Design China," a celebration of Chinese and Italian fashion at their best.

Nearly 100 works by 16 Chinese designers were on display.

The focus is on China's intangible cultural heritage, presenting a confident, inclusive and innovative image of Chinese culture.

"The exhibition symbolizes the sacred cultural power to bind together China, Italy, Europe," said Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi.

In recent years, more and more Chinese designers have come to the stage of Milan Design Week, which is among the world's most important design showcases.

And their creations are attracting attention, especially from those in Italy's cultural sector. It's an exhibition that brings Chinese and Italian designers together and a place for cultural dialogue and a collision of ideas.

"China has a lot of famous cultural monuments, and it's very important to keep those traditional artworks alive in the modern world. So we want our Chinese and Italian counterparts to have a good dialogue on this topic," said Wu Haiyan, dean of the school of design at the China Academy of Art.

"Chinese fashion design is becoming more and more modern, but at the same time retains some symbols of the traditional pattern," said Italian designer Gaetano Castelli.

The exhibition lasts two days until March 21.