Abstract:
The history of the relationship between Italy and China has often been beclouded by myths, projection biases, intellectualizations and, ultimately, stereotypes. Generally speaking, a positive aura dominates the narrative of the encounter between these two countries that have been portrayed, more widely, as representatives of two millenarian civilizations, each of them upholding a specific set of ideas and unique customs. The names of two famous characters, who are also high-sounding historical actors of cross-cultural intermediation, have progressively emerged as epitomes of the rhetoric trope of a long-standing friendship between Italy and China.
