On May 8, the launch event for the new book The bridge of China-Italy friendship: China Today as written by the 1955 Italian cultural delegation (“The bridge of China-Italy friendship ” for short), along with a commemorative event marking the 70th anniversary of the Italian Cultural Delegation’s 1955 visit to China, was held at the Italian Cultural Institute of Beijing. It was jointly organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Beijing and the School of Foreign Studies at Nankai University, with support from Tianjin People’s Publishing House.

This book is the first volume in the Country and Regional Studies Translation Series by the School of Foreign Studies, Nankai University published by Tianjin People’s Publishing House. Yan Guodong, Dean of the School of Foreign Studies, serves as the editor-in-chief of the Translation Series. Yang Lin, Director of the Italian Department of the School of Foreign Studies, and Letizia Vallini, a foreign faculty member of the Department, are both editors-in-chief of The bridge of China-Italy friendship. The translation team included the inaugural graduates of the Italian major.

In 1955, the Italian cultural delegation, led by the renowned politician and jurist Piero Calamandrei, visited cities including Beijing, Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou. Following the trip, delegation members published numerous articles and introduced an authentic picture of China to the Italian public through symposiums and speeches. Among these, the most influential was China Today, a special issue of The Bridge, a magazine under Calamandrei's editorship. Covering politics, economy, culture, and society in China, it became a vital window for Italian readers to understand China at that time.

The bridge of China-Italy friendship presents a carefully curated selection of articles from the original special issue, translated into Chinese and illustrated by rare archival photographs that document the delegation's historic visit to China.

At the event, attendees watched the short film The Game of Gaze: Piero Calamandrei and the Journey to China in 1955, produced by Trentino Historical Museum Foundation. The film features rare footage that captures the delegation’s journey as they overcame prejudices to uncover historical realities. The Chinese subtitles were translated and produced by a student team majoring in Italian at School of Foreign Studies, Nankai University.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)