On November 17, the special research report “Research on the role of aviation food in the spread of Sino-Italian food culture in 2022 ‘Chinese Italian Culture and Tourism Year’ -- Taking China Eastern Airlines as an example”, which was jointly completed by experts and young scholars from Nankai University and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies was officially released. The first author of the report held a conference on the results through online means to share and discuss the research results. Representatives from government departments, think tanks and enterprises including the Chinese Embassy in Italy, the Italian Embassy in China, the Chinese Tourism Office in Rome, Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Italian Research Branch of the Chinese European Society, and China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited attended the meeting.
Professor Yan Guodong, Dean of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University and Director of the Center of International and Regional Studies of Nankai University, attended and delivered a speech. Professor Yang Lin, the leader of the project, Director of the Italian Department and the Vice Director of the Center of International and Regional Studies of Nankai University, attended the meeting and made a speech. The members of the research group, Letizia Vallini, a foreign teacher of the Italian Department, Wang Yifei, Wu Shimin and Liu Yutong, senior students of the Italian language major, made speeches respectively.
Integrate future research achievements to promote cultural communication
At the press conference, Chinese and Italian experts and scholars warmly discussed the friendly cooperation and future development of cultural tourism between the two countries, and highly valued the forward-lookingness and significance of the report.
The report innovatively took the cultural subdivision of aviation food as the starting point, analyzed the representative cases of cross-cultural communication by summarizing the characteristics of Sino-Italian food culture communication activities in recent years, and conducted a questionnaire survey for the students of Chinese and Italian universities to explore the positive role and development opportunities of food in promoting the integration and mutual learning of Chinese and Italian culture.
The study report took China Eastern Airlines as the main case study and pointed out that as an important part of passenger travel experience, aviation food has the natural advantages of international exchange and plays an important role in cultural communication in tourism. As a large-scale and powerful modern aviation catering enterprise, China Eastern Airlines Food will spread Chinese food culture to the world, which has guiding significance and reference value for the optimization and upgrading of international aviation food.
Professor Yan Guodong, Dean of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University and Director of the Center of International and Regional Studies of Nankai University, fully affirmed the research cooperation on this topic. “This is another joint effort of Nankai University, the University of Santa Ana, China Eastern Airlines and Global Network after the research topic on the role of Sino-Italian civil aviation cooperation in the development of the tourism industry of the two countries in 2020. It has once again set a model of cooperation between universities, enterprises and media, and set a model of cooperation between Chinese and Italian universities and think tanks,” He stressed.
Professor Alberto Di Minin of the School of Management of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, president of the Italian side of the Confucius Institute in Pisa and director of the Italian Galileo Center of Chongqing University, believes that food is an important element of cooperation between China and Italy, and is the engine of mutual learning and harmonious exchanges between the two civilizations. The report explains the essence of cooperation between the two countries and the value of food culture.
Professor Luo Hongbo, researcher of the European Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and president of the Italian Research Branch of the European Society of China, commented, “This research report has detailed information, systematic discussion, and in-depth analysis, which makes people refreshing, deeply aware of the cultural and social value of diet, and fully understand the characteristics of the spread of Sino-Italian diet culture.”
From the tip of the tongue to the heart, the food culture connects the friendship between China and Italy
As outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, China and Italy have a long history and rich food culture. Food plays an irreplaceable role in cultural exchanges between the two countries. The meeting invited Federico Roberto Antonelli, the cultural counselor of the Italian Embassy in China, Alessandra Guidi, the science and technology counselor of the Italian Embassy in China, and Zhang Lingxiao, Director of the China Tourism Office in Rome, to attend and make speeches to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations.
Counselor Federick praised the cooperation form of this research in his speech, saying that the research provided a platform and window, promoted the dialogue and exchange of Chinese and Italian cuisine and culture, and hoped that more activities with similar themes could be held in the future.
“China and Italy are two cultural powers linked by ancient friendship. They do not regard food as a nutrient element, but as the carrier of thousands of years of food tradition, reflecting the cultural diversity of our two countries.” Alessandra Guidi, science and technology counselor of the Italian Embassy in China, said that this cooperation has effectively promoted economic and cultural exchanges and promoted mutual understanding between the two countries.
Director Zhang Lingxiao fully affirmed the significance of the research report issued under the background of “2022 Sino-Italian Cultural Tourism Year”, and expressed the good wishes of “further strengthening Sino-Italian tourism and cultural exchanges, and continuing to inject new content and stronger vitality into the tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries”.
“China Eastern Airlines Food will make the most representative and nostalgic food from all over the world into plane meals, awaken the taste buds of foreign tourists and comfort the homesickness of local tourists.” Yu Qinglian, general manager of China Eastern Airlines Food Investment Co., Ltd., said that China Eastern Airlines Food will continue to serve passengers around the world, tell good food stories and help cultural exchanges. “We hope that through our designed meals, we can get closer in the collision of taste buds and share our friendship in the sharing of delicious food.” Jiang Libin, Director of the Creative Center of the Marketing Department of China Eastern Airlines and one of the Oriental Chefs, expressed his sincere feelings.
Shan Chengbiao, the general manager of Global Times, said that he would give full play to the advantages of the media, build a bridge between China and Italy, and help promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges and people-to-people communication between China and Italy.
Integrate future research achievements to promote cultural communication
The leading scholar introduced the research contents and highlights of the report. Yang Lin, the leader of the project and director of the Italian Department of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, introduced the research team, research content and framework at the press conference. The report took aviation food as the starting point to explore the cultural value of food, analyzed the characteristics of Sino-Italian food culture communication in recent years, and analyzed the role of aviation food in cultural exchange and communication. The report made a multi angle case study on the cross-cultural communication of China Eastern Airlines food, drew on the experience of Sino-Italian food culture communication, and put forward specific suggestions on the future cross-cultural international communication of aviation food through questionnaires and other methods, so as to promote the exchange and communication of food culture between China and Italy.
Letizia Vallini, an Italian teacher from the Italian Department of Nankai University, shared her understanding of cross-cultural research and teaching, and believed that food and family are inseparable, which is a link between China and Italy. In her view, air food is the first taste of another national flavor and the starting point of promoting food exchange. The meals and tableware provided by China Eastern Airlines vividly display the national and local culture of China and shorten the distance between Chinese and Italian food and cultural exchanges.
Marco Bonaglia, a doctoral student in tourism management at Chongqing University, an assistant professor at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy, and the contact person of the research group of Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, reviewed the “Impression of Sichuan” series of activities held in Pisa, Italy, in 2022. Chinese cuisine has gained the love and welcome of the Italian people. At the same time, he also praised the important contributions of the two enterprises, ChinEAT and Postwave Brewing, in promoting Sino-Italian food culture exchange and cooperation.
Three students from the Italian Department of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, the leading author of the report, introduced the main contents of the report in detail. 2019 undergraduate Liu Yutong summarized the two-way communication and dissemination of Chinese and Italian food culture under “the Belt and Road” initiative since 2019 from three aspects: government cooperation, non-governmental exchanges and individual communication.
From the perspective of semiotics, Wang Yifei, a graduate of 2017 and a postgraduate student of Communication and Media Culture in the School of Philosophy and Education of the University of Turin, Italy, discussed the cultural value of selected food such as “China Eastern Airlines’ bowl of noodles” and “bone china logo”, and summarized the role of aviation food in cultural communication.
Wu Shimin, a graduate of 2018 and a postgraduate student majored in Country and Regional Studiesin the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, collected and analyzed the evaluation of domestic and foreign tourists on the food of China Eastern Airlines, and distributed questionnaires to college students at home and abroad to understand the respondents’ preferences and views on air food.
Platform creates opportunities for transnational youth cohesion, cooperation and innovation
This project was completed by a team of Sino-Italian transnational scholars, with the deep participation of young scholars and students of relevant majors. It provided youth wisdom and youth programs from the perspective of youth, and received many favorable comments.
Relevant Sino-Italian catering brands attended the conference and put forward constructive suggestions for the Sino-Italian catering cultural exchange path. Mr. Gianluca Luisi, the founder of China’s chili sauce promotion in the world and the former head of the Commercial Department of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, shared the reason for his entrepreneurship.“I believe that food can serve as a bridge, and hope to let more family and friends around us understand the culture behind it.”
Silvio Festari, one of the founders of the brand Postwave Brewing, which applies the beauty of Chinese ceramics to beer production, said that “we hope to bring the younger generation of Italy closer to the charm and value of Chinese history and culture”.
“The exchange and cooperation between China and Italy should continue to achieve new results, which depends on the participation of more and more young people.” Professor Sun Yanhong, a researcher at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, commented that the project created a rare opportunity for students, and the participation of students also added a lot of lively content to the research report. Youth is the protagonist of the future and the hope of tomorrow. “We are full of expectations for the prospects of Sino-Italian cooperation.”
Free communication and discussion, food culture promoting friendship
Professor Luo Hongbo, a researcher at the European Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, recalled her experience of meeting Ms. Giulia Marzotto, who loved Chinese food in the 1970s. During the exchange and discussion, associate professor Yang Lin, director of the Italian Department of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, told the story of his encounter with the same Julia Marzoto at the table of the Venice seminar in 2005. Yang Lin sighed from the bottom of her heart,“Food culture enriches the lives of the Chinese and Italian people, and is of special significance to enhance the cordial understanding between the two peoples.” The report conference ended successfully in the sharing of beautiful stories.
The conference was simultaneous interpretated by Peng Qianand Shi Dou, lecturers of the Italian Department. Students of the Italian Department also attended the meeting.
