On November 3, 2024, “Real and Imaginary Lands - China and Marco Polo. A Tale of Books Exhibition” was inaugurated at the Shanghai Library East. At the opening ceremony, Yang Chunhua, Secretary of the Shanghai Library Communist Party Committee, Chen Chao, Director of the Shanghai Library, Tiziana D'Angelo, Consul General of Italy in Shanghai, and Francesco D'Arelli, Head of the Cultural Office of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, jointly unveiled the exhibition. Consul General Tiziana D'Angelo and Director Chen Chao delivered speeches, expressing their warm congratulations and high expectations for the successful holding of the exhibition.

 
As an annual highlight exhibition of the Shanghai Library, this exhibition is based on rare documents collected by Italian institutions and the Shanghai Library. It is divided into four sections: "The Marvelous Book," "Journeys on Sands and Oceans" "The Constancy of Sun and Moon," and "Brilliant Stars Arrayed." The exhibition showcases over a hundred treasured documents from China and abroad, including early manuscripts and various language editions of "The Travels of Marco Polo," Chinese books and newspapers related to Marco Polo since the 19th century, and many valuable documents produced in the cultural exchange between China and Italy. Among them, four representative early copies of "The Travels of Marco Polo" and the will of Marco Polo's uncle, Old Marco, are rare manuscript documents from well-known Italian collecting institutions, all of which are being exhibited in China for the first time.
 

During the exhibition, visitors will not only witness the grand journey of "The Travels of Marco Polo" from its creation, transcription, printing, dissemination, translation, to its elevation in research, but also experience the unique textual charm of this "miracle book" within its historical context. For academic researchers, this is a rare opportunity to view rare editions of "The Travels of Marco Polo" up close; for the general public, it is a time-traveling journey following Marco Polo through the realms of reality and fantasy.
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"Civilizations exchange because of diversity, learn from each other through exchange, and develop through mutual learning." On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy and the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, the Shanghai Library, through this exhibition, brings a unique reading experience to its readers with early Western narratives of China. This not only fulfills the library's role as a cultural exchange platform but also represents attempts and efforts to promote mutual understanding and deepen friendship between the peoples of China and Italy. Moreover, it further demonstrates the Shanghai Library's determination and continuous exploration to keep pace with the times, to create a smart composite library that integrates knowledge dissemination, cultural exchange, and intelligent services, and to match the image of a modern international metropolis with global influence as a research-oriented public library.
 
 

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The exhibition will run until February 28, 2025. During the exhibition period, more than ten special lectures will be given by scholars from China and abroad, allowing the readers to gain a deeper understanding of "The Travels of Marco Polo" from multiple perspectives.