Today, we commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy through the online concert. As two major civilizations in the East and the West, China and Italy not only have in-depth cooperation in political, economic, and technological fields, but also in the cultural field. The cultural exchanges and cooperation have brought spiritual resonance beyond time and space to the people of the two countries. We hope to extol the cultural heritage of the two countries through art and music, and pass on the blessings for China and Italy to join hands in building a better future.

Western opera is the crowning achievement of human civilization. In the history of Italian opera, countless classic works have been widely sung in the world. The great opera masters, from Rossini, Verdi, to Puccini, they passed a path from traditional opera to authentic opera. The "God of Comedy Opera" Rossini is the initiator of Italian romantic opera. His comedy opera is full of creativity, fun and humorous. At the same time, the vocal and orchestral melodies in his opera are just as beautiful and exquisite. The opera composer Verdi is also an outstanding representative of Italian romantic opera. In Verdi’s brilliantly romantic life, he composed a wealth of musical treasures for the sake of all mankind. Verdi's music is beautiful and passionate, inspiring people all the time. Puccini's musical language is rich, the melody is beautiful and bright. He is a representative of the authentic opera genre from the end of the 19^th century to the pre-war period in Europe. During the 300-year history of Western classical opera, only Puccini's "Turandot" set the story in China. This is a great gift from the master to the Chinese people!

To this day, we can still perceive the world from works two hundred years ago, and find wisdom in the music of pioneers. Let us join hands together to celebrate the friendship between China and Italy, and offer our blessings to China and Italy for a better future together.