Diplomatic mission marks Italian National Day in Yunnan

The Italian Consulate General in Chongqing held a cultural event in central Yunnan’s Kunming city on May 31, celebrating the Italian National Day that falls two days later on June 2.

The Italian National Day reception in Kunming, Yunnan province

As the first of celebrations to be staged in the southwestern Chinese provinces, the Italian cultural event also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the diplomatic mission in Chongqing and the 700th anniversary of the Italian traveler Marco Polo's pass-away.

Kunming is described as a magnificent city by Marco Polo, and the Italian celebration in Kunming featured a National Day reception and a photo exhibition on Marco Polo. More than 20 photographs were displayed, showcasing the sights along his traveling routes.

Yunnan and Italy have had frequent cultural exchanges. The two sides have forged sisterly bonds between four pairs of cities, a pair of waterfalls and a pair of heritage sites over the years.

This April saw Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, twinned with the Botanical Garden of Padua University in Italy. Yunnan’s Yi embroidery also made a hit at the Milan Fashion Week.

The Italian event in Yunnan was attended by the consul general of Italy in Chongqing Fabio Schina, as well as by the in-Kunming consuls general of Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Reporting by Han Chengyuan, Liu Ziyu and Wang Jingzhong (Yunnan Daily); Photot by Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office; Trans-editing by Wang Shixue