China and the West today. Lessons //from Matteo Ricci

Conceived by the Giorgio Cini Foundation with the scientifi c collaboration of Michela Fontana, author of the book Matteo Ricci, un gesuita alla corte dei Ming (“Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit at the Ming Court”), the conference takes as a starting point the values expressed by Matteo Ricci in his original, pioneering work of “cultural mediation” between China and Europe. The meeting is not only intended for sinologists but wishes to furnish original ideas for further reflection in the historical, cultural, political and economic fields to an audience of historians, economists, politicians, entrepreneurs and opinion leaders, with the aim of fostering dialogue between China and the West.

The conference will run for three days. Day One – China from Matteo Ricci to the present – will begin from Matteo Ricci’s work in the fields of science and of moral philosophy. After exploring the developments of the interaction between Ricci’s Jesuit followers and Chinese intellectuals, the aim is to arrive at a discussion on the evolution of relations between China and the West through descriptions of the historical context from the Imperial age to the current economic revolution.

Day Two – Chinese diversity: myth or reality? – will be dedicated to the theme of the (real or presumed) Chinese diversity and sets out to identify and analyse the forms it has taken over time and which still constitute what in Western eyes is the Chinese enigma.

The objective on Day Three – China and the West today: what role can Italy play? – will be to refl ect on and describe, in the wake of the example of Matteo Ricci, the specific role Italy can play, on the basis of its vocation and tradition, in the development of innovative relations between the West and China.
There will be a special focus on Italy’s image in China and on how Italy can promote an original model of cultural co-operation.

The conference programme is enriched, at the end of Day Two, with the Concerto di musica tradizionale cinese GuQin e lettura di poesie by Luca Bonvini, and will end the evening of Day Three with a performance on San Giorgio of a play inspired by the story of Matteo Ricci. Directed and performed by Ruggero Cara, the play is entitled Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit and Scientist at the Ming Court.

Among those taking part are: Geremie Barmé, Marianne Bastid-Bruguière, Boris Biancheri, Gregory
Blue, Timothy Brook, Paolo Bruni, Renzo Cavalieri, Timothy Cheek, Corrado Clini, Davide
Cucino, Benjamin Elman, Ronnie Hsia, Luo Hongbo, François Jullien,
Giancarlo Lanna, Maurizio Marinelli, Eugenio Menegon, Ignazio Musu,
Romeo Orlandi, Antonio Paruzzolo, Beniamino Quintieri, Federico
Rampini, Cesare Romiti, Maurizio Scarpari, Luo Xiapeng, Yongjin Zhang.

The conference is organized with the financial contribution of

Casinò di Venezia
Consorzio Venezia Nuova
Thetis SpA
Fondazione Banco di Sicilia