Cooperation between Cultural Office of the Consulate General of Italy and the Cultural office of the Jingan District: a success story for internationalisation

The Year 2006 was the Year of Italy and China, during which the Culture Office of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai has organized in Shanghai almost 200 events, spanning from concerts to dramatic plays, from art exhibitions to conferences.

It is also the year in which a successful cooperation with the Jing’an District has started. The first event has been the installation of a sculpture of Carlo Goldoni, the famous Italian play writer, in what it is called now”the road of the play writers”, i.e. Hua Shan road.

That brilliant event, organized with the highest authorities of Jing’An District and Italian diplomacy, was also the occasion for the signing of a multi-year agreement between the famous “Piccolo Teatro di Milano” and the “Shanghai Theater Academy” (which will result in a joint-performance during the Shanghai Expo 2010).

The second event took place at the beginning of June 2007, when a folkloric group from Italy performed in the plaza near the Jing’An Park. Nearly forty young Italians performed a show of acrobatics and flag-waving exercises, dressed in magnificent customs from the Italian renaissance.

The third event has been in this year, on 31 July 2008. With friendship and kind generosity, the Jing’An district has agreed to organize an “Italian Day”, featuring a concert of the famous violinist Vittorio Di Lotti and the “enchantment quartet” of the young professors of the Shanghai conservatory. The splendid ball room of the Paramount Theater has been the venue for the execution of rare and beautiful harmonies of the Italian 18th century.

The fourth event has been held at the cultural center of the Jing’An district on the 1st of June, 2008, when myself animated a conference on the meaning of Vivald’s famous piece of music: the four seasons.

Apart from these main cultural events, our cooperation has invested many other occasions, when I have been invited to enjoy spectacular cultural shows and performances organized by the district.

During this time, in which I have the honor to address such important audience, I would like to formulate some suggestions on the relations between culture and economy. 

I always repeat the slogan:

CULTURE IS LIFESTYLE; LIFESTYLE IS BUSINESS

Last year was 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.

Jing-an 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, Jing-an 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.

4.    promoting the image of Jing-an District and enhancing the communication, through website and blog of testimonials. To give you an example, I have set my personal blog one week ago and – without any personal promotion – I have 100 visits a day so far.

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.