From November 20 to 21, a delegation of six members from the University of Salento (UniSalento), including President Fabio Pollice and Vice President Gennaro Scarselli, visited Northwest University (NWU). SUN Qingwei, Vice President (in charge of administrative affairs) of NWU, met with the delegation at the Chang’an Campus, and both sides held friendly discussions on cooperation achievements and future prospects. WU Zhenlei, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Vice President of NWU, also attended the meeting, accompanied by heads of relevant university departments.

During the visit, the delegation participated in a series of activities, including the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Joint Management Committee of An-Lai School, the Student Works Exhibition, a NWU-UniSalento Faculty Symposium on cultural heritage disciplines, and a NWU-UniSalento Faculty–Student Meeting.

At the Annual Joint Management Committee Meeting, WU Zhenlei and Fabio Pollice delivered speeches on behalf of the two universities. The responsible persons from An-Lai School and the Italian side reported on the operation of the school and related work progress. Representatives from both universities jointly signed the revised version of the Talent Cultivation Program. The meeting also discussed topics such as committee membership adjustment, selection of Italian resident staff, arrangements for on-site UniSalento courses, and expansion of inter-university cooperation.

Afterwards, WU Zhenlei accompanied the delegation to visit the An-Lai School Student Works Exhibition. The exhibition featured 50 works, including reproductions of murals from the Han and Tang dynasties and original student creations, as well as restoration results of the reproduction of the “Jataka of the Deer King” (Cave 257, Dunhuang) and the restoration process of a Qin Terracotta Warrior head replica.

During the NWU-UniSalento Faculty Symposium, teachers from both universities conducted in-depth discussions on research directions, achievements, and cooperation intentions, expressing a strong willingness to expand collaboration in the future. Pollice proposed that future cooperation could focus on areas such as cultural heritage conservation and exchange along the Silk Road and applications of virtual reality technology. WU Zhenlei noted that the exchange between NWU and UniSalento faculty had been productive and effective. He suggested that future efforts should focus on joint research projects and collaborative research platforms to further strengthen inter-university cooperation.

At the Faculty–Student Meeting, Pollice delivered a keynote speech titled “The Role of Local Communities in Enhancing the Value of Cultural Heritage”. Professor Raffaele Casciaro introduced the Department of Cultural Heritage of UniSalento, while Professor Flavia Frisone presented details about undergraduate programs and the exchange study arrangements in Italy. Student representatives of An-Lai School engaged in interactive discussions with UniSalento professors on course organization and exchange study experiences.

On November 21, the delegation visited the Taibai Campus of NWU, toured the Exhibition Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the School of International Education, and held discussions with the Office of International Cooperation on Sino-Italian study abroad programs and inter-university exchange projects. They also visited several galleries of the University Museum.

According to the agreement between the two universities, starting November 22, three professors from the Department of Cultural Heritage at UniSalento who accompanied the delegation will officially begin on-site teaching for An-Lai School’s students. This marks the normalization of course organization at the school.(Photos by Talihal·Yerjiang)

Vice President SUN Qingwei (in charge of administrative affairs) meets with the delegation at Chang’an Campus

2023 Annual Meeting of the An-Lai School Joint Management Committee

Signing of the revised Talent Cultivation Program

Exchange of commemorative gifts

NWU-UniSalento Faculty Symposium

Faculty–Student Meeting