Culture is Lifestyle; Lifestyle is business

This year is the bi-millenary anniversary of the death of Maecenas, the Minister of the Roman Emperor Augustus.

He was the first “manager of culture”, so much famous that the word “mecenatism” is now worldwide recognised as a synonym for culture management, sponsorship, communication and publicity through culture.

Italy is therefore the origin of the concept of culture as a business.

A service industry is in itself a culture affair. The concept of service is linked to the concept of need.

One needs to eat and there is food industry.

One needs to be dressed and there is clothing industry.

And so on.

Why Italy is the leader of the world service industry?

Because in 2000 years Italy developed a “leap of quality”, moving from the satisfaction of the basic needs (eating, being dressed and so on) to the concept of “quality of life”, thus inventing and propagating the “Italian lifestyle”.

The quality of life in Italy is currently considered the best in the world due to the “cult of beauty” which Italians have and use in everyday life.

Xu Hui district is at the forefront of Chinese culture in Shanghai and this part of China, and can effect a “leap of quality” following the example of Italy.

400 years after the historical friendship between Xu Guangqi, Li Madou and Xiong Sanba, Xu Hui could develop close cooperation with the Italian Cultural Institute in:

1.    setting models and examples of good lifestyle (to create potential customers);

2.    helping and identifying “lifestyle industries”: gymnasiums, fashion industries, “niche” restaurants, lifestyle clubs;

3.    Introducing quality habits in the behaviour of citizens: dental services, beauty, entertainment, books, children education.

The Ambassador of Italy in China says: Italy and China are the  two “cultural superpowers” of the world.

Hand in hand they can lead the lifestyle of the 3rd Millennium.

(c) Mr. Paolo Sabbatini, Director, Italian Cultural Institute, 2007.