2022.05.20
On May 19, China Tourism Day the symposium on Travelling in Tiancheng: Marco Polo Memorial Exhibition was held at Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (South Zone). Wang Kunxin, deputy secretary-general of World Tourism Alliance and member of Zhejiang Research Institute Literature and History; Bao Zhicheng, research fellow of Zhejiang Academy of Culture and Tourism Development; Wang Chun, associate senior translator holding the title of National Senior English Tour Guide; Professor Zhang Jianrong, vice chair of Zhejiang Provincial Law Society on Culture and Tourism; and Xu Jihong, editor-in-chief of Zhejiang Culture and Tourism, a journal run by Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, attended the meeting. Also present at the meeting were representatives from the World Tourism Alliance Hangzhou Liaison Office, Tourism College of Zhejiang and Xiaoshan Xianghu National Tourism Resort Management Committee.
At the meeting, Wang Kunxin introduced the progress and phased achievements of the World Tourism Museum construction and the planning for the “Travelling in Tiancheng: Marco Polo Memorial Exhibition”. He said that in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, the Italian side has contributed to the Marco Polo Memorial Exhibition at the World Tourism Museum to mark the first anniversary of the “Replica of Marco Polo’s Will Donation Ceremony” and enriched the Chinese-Italian Cultural Tourism Year activities in 2022. The exhibition will be launched online this September. Wang Kunxin expounded the significance of the symposium from the perspectives of cultural exchange between China and the West, learning and inheriting the spirit of travelers, respecting historical materials, organizing exhibitions properly, and doing a good job in illustrating the Silk Road culture. The Marco Polo Memorial Exhibition will provide a new case as well as related exhibits for promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning between civilizations, academic innovation and research of the industry by the World Tourism Alliance and the World Tourism Museum.
At the symposium, the research fellow Bao Zhicheng, proceeding from his monograph Marco Polo and Tiancheng Hangzhou, introduced the historical materials, physical remains and academic research achievements about Marco Polo since the 14th century; investigated into the life story of Marco Polo; and checked the details about Hangzhou recorded by Marco Polo from the aspects of tourism, history, linguistics, philology and urbanology. Associate Senior Translator Wang Chun made a professional interpretation of the English translation of some place names and proper nouns from Marco Polo’s Travels, and expounded the related historical and cultural connotations.
At the meeting the attendees exchanged views on the planning outline and the contents of the exhibition units. The experts made in-depth discussions on the concepts and ideas, the outline of the exhibition text, the interpretation form and the key exhibition items; and provided valuable suggestions for the follow-up planning of the exhibition.
During the symposium, the replica of Marco Polo’s will and other historic objects were on display, including more than 20 different versions of Marco Polo’s Travels and a number of related academic monographs collected by the World Tourism Museum. These books or research data coming in languages of more than 10 countries constitute important historical materials for studying Marco Polo.
