The yearlong event was jointly announced by President Xi Jinping and Italian President Sergio Mattarella during Xi's visit to Italy in March 2019.

The culture and tourism year aims to boost bilateral cultural exchanges, cooperation and people-to-people relations, paving the way for the further development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy, says Zheng Hao, a senior official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.

The two countries have made important strides in cultural exchanges and cooperation over the years, including long-term exhibitions at each other's national museums and the twinning of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

"It all reflects the high-level and groundbreaking cultural cooperation between China and Italy," Zheng says, adding that it has injected impetus into the development of bilateral relations.

The two countries both abound in profound cultural heritage and tourism resources, including 55 UNESCO World Heritage sites each.

Now, several sites in both China and Italy are discussing the potential for making films and hosting exhibitions.

The twinning of World Heritage sites on both sides will be a main attraction, because it will mean more tourists and will boost cultural tourism, says Luca Ferrari, Italian ambassador to China.