[Space is limited. RSVP is required.]

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo:
An International Symposium on Italy-China Cultural Exchange in the 13th--17th Centuries

Date: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Time: 8:30am-12:00pm
Location: Members Room, LJ-162, 1st floor, South Wing, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress
1st Street and Independence Ave., SE, Washington, DC

Followed by a Luncheon, Members Room, LJ-162

In conjunction with the symposium, a special book exhibit will be held in the Asian Reading Room, LJ-150, Jefferson Building, 8:30am-5:00pm.

Co-hosts:
Asian Division, The Library of Congress
Embassy of Italy/Italian Cultural Institute, Washington DC
The Honorable Henry E. Brown, Jr., U.S. House of Representatives

Sponsored by:
NIAF (The National Italian American Foundation) Frank J. Guarini Public Policy Forum
Alitalia

Catering provided by:
AL TIRAMISU, 2014 P Street NW, Washington DC. Tel: 202-467-4466

Space is very limited. Please RSVP as soon as possible with Dr. Anchi Hoh at adia@loc.gov or (202) 707-5673 by Friday, March 10, 2006.

Description:
Marco Polo is supposed to have arrived in China in 1275. Whether or not he himself went there (the question is raised in Frances Wood, Did Marco Polo Go to China? Secker and Warburg, 1995), the fact remains that the work with which he is credited (The Travels of Marco Polo) was widely circulated and was regarded as containing the sum total of European knowledge of China between the thirteenth and early sixteenth centuries and was therefore immensely influential.

In this symposium, in addition to Marco Polo, the literature of travelers and missionaries such as Giovanni da Montecorvino, Odoric da Pordenone, Giovanni de’Marignolli and many others will be discussed. With the arrival of Matteo Ricci in 1583, the Jesuit mission reached the peak of this process of cultural exchange, which covered art and architecture, religion and philosophy, science and technology, trade and government, as they existed at that time in Europe and China.

Program
8:30 am-9:00 am Arrival and Registration, Members Room
9:00 am-12:00 pm Symposium, Members Room
12:30 pm-2:00 pm Luncheon reception (buffet), Members Room
8:30 am–5:00 pm Special Book Exhibition, Asian Reading Room

Speakers
- Opening Remarks
Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee, Chief, Asian Division
Dr. Deanna Marcum, Associate Librarian for Library Services, Library of Congress
- Keynote Speaker: TBA
- Panelist
Dr. John Witek, S.J. Professor of East Asian History, Department of History, Georgetown University, Washington DCTopic: “Through an Italian Lens: Viewing Books on Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century China in the Library of Congress”
- Panelist
Dr. Piero Corradini, Department of History of Eastern Asia, Rome University “La Sapienza,” Professor Emeritus, former Director of the Italian Cultural Insititute and Cultrual Attache, Embassy of Italy, Tokyo (1979-81) and Beijing, China (1988-91) Topic: “Marco Polo and Other Italians in China in the XIV Century”
- Panelist
Dr. Kam-Wing Fung, Acting Director, Center of Asian Studies and Associate Professor of Department of Chinese, The University of Hong Kong. Topic: “Lexicography, Cartography and Instrument Making: Matteo Ricci and Jesuit Science in China”

Directions
By Subway (Metro): The closest metro stop to the Library is Capitol South (orange/blue lines).
By car from Virginia via Interstate 395:
The nearest expressway from Virginia is I-395. To reach the Library on this expressway, you must travel north on I-395 and cross the Potomac River on what is locally known as the 14th Street Bridge. Continue to the exit marked 6th St, SE (you will pass exits for the U.S. Capitol, and South Capitol Street). Turn left onto 6th St, SE and proceed to Pennsylvania Ave, SE and take a left. At 2nd St, SE, Pennsylvania Ave, SE becomes Independence Ave, SE. The Thomas Jefferson Building is directly across Independence Ave, SE.

By car from Virginia via Interstate 66:
Take I-66 east towards Washington, D.C. and veer left onto the Roosevelt Bridge. Proceed straight from the Roosevelt Bridge onto Constitution Ave, NW. From Constitution Ave, NW make a right onto 7th St, NW. As you proceed down 7th St, NW towards Independence Ave, you will cross over into the southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. and 7th St, NW will become 7th St, SW. Make a left from 7th St, SW onto Independence Ave, SW. Go uphill on Independence Ave, SW, which will turn into Independence Ave, SE once you cross South Capitol Street. On the left you will see the U.S. Capitol and the Thomas Jefferson Building.

By car from Maryland via Interstate 95/495:
From I-95/I-495 (Capitol Beltway), take exit 11B, Route 4/Pennsylvania Ave, headed west towards Washington, D.C. In 8.5 miles, Pennsylvania Ave, SE turns into Independence Ave, SE at 2nd St, SE. On the right is the John Adams Building at 2nd SE. Directly across from the John Adams Building on 2nd St, SE is the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Parking
Parking in neighborhoods around the Library of Congress consists of limited two-hour zone parking on streets, meter parking, and parking in commercial lots. The use of public transportation is highly recommended during business hours.

Post-Event Note

The entire symposium is now viewable via the Library of Congress webcast site [1].