Recently the off-site event of China Corporate United Pavilion for Expo Milano 2015 “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence” co-organized by DOBE ended in a satisfactory way.
On the occasion of Expo Milano, to drive Shanghai design and Shanghai brands to “go global”, guided by Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and UNESCO “Creative City” (Shanghai) Promotion Office, Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Design and China Corporate United Pavilion for Expo Milano joined hands and organized a grand off-site event “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence” in Shanghai & Florence-Sino Italian Design Exchange Center (Florence Base) constructed by DOBE. The event lasted 4 months, with activities in various forms and a wide coverage.
On Sept. 26, “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence” held a grand closing party in A-Zenith Shanghai-style Furniture Pavilion. Secretary General Wang Leyi of Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Design presided over the party. Liu Boying, Chief of Creative and Design Industries Section of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and Office Director of Shanghai Design Week Organizing Committee, Deputy Mayor of Florence Giovanni Bettarini respectively gave an opening speech. The two leaders highly commended “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence” respectively on behalf of China and Italy, and placed high hope on the exchanges between Chinese and Italian cultural and creative industries. Guests present at the party also included Italian Vice Minister of MISE (in charge of media and telecom) Antonello Giacomelli, Consul General Stefano BELTRAME of Italian Consulate in Shanghai, Florence Municipal Economic and Innovative Development Department Head Simone TANI, Director He Shouchang of Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Design, Xuhui District Standing Party Committee Member and Publicity Department Head Lv Xiaohui, Jinshan District Publicity Department Head Zhang Quanquan, Executive Curator Wang Hui of China Corporate United Pavilion for Expo Milano and other important guests from Shanghai and Florence.
With the great support from Shanghai Light Industry Association, around the theme of Expo Milano 2015: "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", Sino Italian Design Exchange Center organized 20 Shanghai brand enterprises and famous Shanghai design institutions to Florence, Italy, and carried out a series of brand promotions under the theme “Design Starts a Smart Urban Life”. The exhibition had several parts, such as “Design on the Tongue”, “Sustainable Development”, “Happiness from Taste”, “Product Design”. It started from “food”, extended to all aspects in life, displayed the design power and new energy of Shanghai brands to Italian government and people.
In addition, in June and July, “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence” held a number of themed dialogues and forums, including “When Suits Meet Cheongsams” International Forum, Creative Economy –Shanghai Design “Belt” & “Road” Forum, “Sino-Italian Architects Workshop”, the First Shanghai Style Culture and Innovation Forum, etc.
In Sept., as outstanding representatives of Shanghai folk culture and Shanghai intangible cultural heritage, Jinshan farmers’ paintings brought a new aesthetic experience combining Chinese folk art with Chinese traditional folk culture perfectly to Italian people. Also in Sept., “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence” took Shoubai Art, Imprinting Shanghai, Learti Orafe Jewelry School and Academy to exhibit at Shanghai Design Week. Shoubai Art and Imprinting Shanghai, joined hands, skillfully fused art design and lifestyle, presented artistic articles of daily use with both collectable and practical value. Learti Orafe Jewelry School and Academy displayed the inheritance and development of Italian jewelry culture through the works of its outstanding alumni and students, perfectly presented the inheritance and evolution of Florence’s long history as the birthplace of renaissance. Meanwhile, Shanghai Huiluo Co., Ltd. hand in hand with Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Design and Shanghai University of Engineering Science, held the first Huiluo Cup Down Garment Invitational Tournament in Italy during “La Stagione Creativa Di Due Città-Shanghai & Florence”. The tournament will launch a series of activities, such as the College Students’ Down Garment Design Invitational Tournament, Down Garment Fair and Summit, student exchanges, to select and discover Chinese and Italian design talents in the activities. The event not only witnessed the friendship between China and Italy over the 45 years since the two nations established diplomatic relations, but also promoted the exchanges between China and Italy, and spread Shanghai-style culture, giving famous Chinese brands a chance for exchange and cooperation with Italy, let Chinese universities keep up with the international level in down garment design curriculum.
Expo Milano 2015 was held on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Italy. As “One Belt and One Road’ Initiative goes into in-depth development and practice, as the development of Sino-Italian relations enters the “fast lane”, cooperation between the two countries also has entered a new stage of high-end guidance, alliance between giants, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Sino Italian Design Exchange Center will continue to build exchange platforms, explore enterprises’ needs, channel international resources, provide quality services, keep supporting China’s cooperation with Europe in creative design, speed up promoting the two countries’ exchanges and project cooperation in design and fashion fields.
Liu Boying, Chief of Creative and Design Industries Section of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and Office Director of Shanghai Design Week Organizing Committee, gave a speech
Deputy Mayor of Florence Giovanni Bettarini delivered a speech