To commemorate the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's passing, a VR exhibition titled "Legendary Journey: Marco Polo and the World Along the Silk Road" opened on November 21 at the Guangzhou Library. The exhibition will be on display in the Multicultural Library on the 8th floor of the library's north tower until December 31.
Visitors can step into a virtual world with VR equipment to "follow" Marco Polo on his Silk Road adventure, experiencing his extraordinary journey from Venice to China.
The VR film showcased in the exhibition is a virtual reality 3D project developed by the Italian company Way Experience. The film vividly recreates historical scenes such as the canals of Venice, the Lut Desert, the Pamir Mountains, the Taklamakan Desert, and Shangdu, the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. Viewers can explore these locations through Marco Polo's first-person perspective, immersing themselves in the legendary adventurer's "Oriental encounters" from over seven centuries ago.
The exhibition features interactive installations presenting iconic Eastern goods such as silk, tea, and porcelain, inviting visitors to join Marco Polo in completing his "shopping list." While exploring the exhibition, visitors can also browse The Travels of Marco Polo in multiple languages, including Chinese, Italian, and English. What's more, they can share their travel tips on social media, recommending Chinese cities or unique local products to Marco Polo.
In addition to commemorating Marco Polo, Italian Consul General in Guangzhou, Valerio De Parolis, expressed his hope that this exhibition would inspire future generations to continue exploring the world around them and to build bridges of understanding and friendship across the globe.
Wu Cuihong, Director of Guangzhou Library, remarked that the event aims to provide visitors with a profound experience of the fusion and collision of Eastern and Western cultures, offering a unique "legendary journey" within the library.
As one of the major events in China commemorating the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's passing, the exhibition is co-hosted by the Italian Consulate General in Guangzhou and the Guangzhou Library.
Editor | Cheng Lan, Yu Lulu, Liu Lingzhi, James, Shen He
Photo | Guangzhou Library
