Small by Chinese standards but great in literature, Haiyan is the birthplace of the stories of Yu Hua, a representative author of contemporary China. Thanks to translations of his work around the world —and to the efforts of Silvia Pozzi, his Italian voice— the city and his stories have become a cultural bridge between East and West.

The story of Wang Jibing and Martina Benigni crossed paths by chance in Shanghai, where Martina was spending a period of study. A PhD student in Asian and African Civilizations at the University of Rome La Sapienza and a Chinese language student for nearly ten years, Martina (known in China as Lin Mingyue) stumbled upon Flying Close to the Ground, one of the five collections published by Wang Jibing, on the shelves of a small university campus bookstore.

At the Rome 9 Center for Sino-Italian Economic and Cultural Exchanges, the first Italian screening of the documentary “At Three in the Afternoon: The Global Echo of the Poet-Rider” was held. The film is dedicated to Wang Jibing and to Martina Benigni, the Italian translator of the poem "At Three in the Afternoon" and PhD student in Asian and African Civilizations at the University of Rome La Sapienza.

"Literature and poetry must always have a place in my life.” This passion was already planted in Martina Benigni’s childhood. After coming to China, poetry became an important window through which she observes and understands social life. Out of love for it, she attempted to translate several poems from Flying Close to the Ground into Italian and sent them to her co-supervisor Silvia Pozzi, professor at the University of Milan-Bicocca.

His poem “Alle tre del pomeriggio” was translated into Italian by Martina Benigni, a PhD student in Asian and African Civilizations at the University of Rome La Sapienza, under the supervision of Silvia Pozzi, professor at the University of Milan-Bicocca. Thanks to their work, Italian readers have been able to experience the warmth and vitality of Chinese popular literature.

The year 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, with both sides launching a series of commemorative events. As outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, China and Italy demonstrate how storytelling remains one of the most effective forms of cultural exchange. Italian sinologist and translator Silvia Pozzi, recipient of the 17th Special Book Award of China, has translated the works of several Chinese authors and continues to devote herself to translation studies. She believes translation is not about “explaining” China, but about telling the world truly compelling Chinese stories.

Silvia Pozzi, Sinologist and Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, first visited Xinjiang 30 years ago. She shared that both the Xinjiang of three decades ago and today have left a profound impression on her. While Xinjiang has developed rapidly and undergone tremendous changes, the warmth of its people remains unchanged.

In 2025, China and Italy launched a series of commemorative activities to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China and Italy both represent excellent civilizations, in the Eastern and Western spheres respectively, and stories constitute one of the most effective forms of cultural exchange. In addition to having translated the works of numerous Chinese writers, Italian sinologist and translator Silvia Pozzi, winner of the XVII Special Book Award of China, devotes constant attention to research in the field of translation studies, believing that translation should not serve to "explain" China, but rather to tell the world Chinese stories capable of moving people.

Italian Sinologist, literary translator, and professor at University of Milan-Bicocca, Silvia Pozzi speaks fluent Chinese and has a deep understanding of modern and contemporary Chinese writers and literary works. Recently, after traveling thousands of kilometers to China's Xinjiang region to participate in the "World Sinologists Look at China" programme, Silvia Pozzi released an exclusive interview to "East-West Questions" program, for China News, explaining how literary translation builds "bridges" for cultural exchanges between China and Italy.

On 26 June, Ma Xingrui, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, met with the delegation of the “Global Sinologists on China - Xinjiang Tour” in Urumqi. Ma Xingrui expressed his pleasure at welcoming the sinologists to Xinjiang on behalf of the CPC Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee and the People’s Government of the Autonomous Region. He described the sinologists as ambassadors of cultural exchange and dialogue between China and other countries. Ma highlighted that, since ancient times, Xinjiang has been a region where multiple ethnic groups live together, diverse cultures interact, and different religions coexist. With its long history, rich culture, and unique features, he said, this visit is of great significance for the sinologists in conducting academic research and gaining a deeper understanding of China.

On the morning of 15 October 2024, the opening ceremony of the 24th International Week of Italian Language and Culture, themed “Italian Language and Books: A World Between Lines”, was held at the library auditorium of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. […] The second part of the ceremony featured a lecture by Professor Silvia Pozzi titled “Italian Language and Books: A World Between Lines”. In her lecture, Professor Pozzi explained to the students the differences between Chinese and Italian, as well as the challenges that arise during the translation from Chinese into Italian.

Saturday, October 5th, at 6:00 PM, at the bookstore Lo Spazio Pistoia (Via Curtatone e Montanara 20/22), “The Unexpected China”: a conversation with Silvia Pozzi, translator and professor of Chinese and Southeast Asian Language and Literature at the University of Milan–Bicocca, in dialogue with Alessandra Repossi, literary translator.

Through three novels and a short story collection -each very different from the others- three Chinese authors (one male, two female) and one Taiwanese author invite us to explore how contemporary China tells its story to the world, revealing the undeniable links between China’s past and the modern global context.

There is a world struggling to emerge, still unable to break through the wall of prejudice that sees China only as a regime, China only as an economic threat. And what of the Chinese people? Some say they never even die. To imagine them smiling seems impossible. Serious, reserved, reluctant to integrate. How can Chinese authors -and the works shaped by that world- make their way in such a climate of distance, or worse, suspicion? What a pity. If only it could happen -if those books found their way into our living rooms or slipped under our blankets- we would be utterly overwhelmed, dazzled.

Nowadays, the interest in Chinese writers like Liu Cixin and Yu Hua is growing exponentially among Italian readers. Liu Cixin attracted numerous Italian fans of Chinese sci-fi literature; Yu Hua has become a star in Italy: almost all his works, with the exception of a couple of essays about his childhood, have been translated into Italian. His notoriety goes beyond the literary world; he has become a real star.

A morning of discussion devoted to the topic of translation, with a particular focus on Taiwan. This is the event scheduled for Saturday, 23 March at 10:30 a.m. in the Terzani Auditorium at the San Giorgio Library in Pistoia, as part of the Climate Fiction Days festival, the first national event dedicated to literature on climate change. […] Environmental issues in their broadest cultural dimensions are explored in Mountains and Clouds in the Eyes by Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-yi, translated into Italian by Silvia Pozzi […]. Also featured is Membrana (add, 2022) by Chi Ta-Wei, translated by Alessandra Pezza: a dreamlike novel set in a world dominated by technology, which accompanies the protagonist on an inner journey in search of the essence of what it means to be human.

With her translation of Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, Silvia Pozzi brings Italian readers an original and compelling voice from the contemporary Chinese literary scene. (…) Although shaped by a fantastical distortion of the reality we know, the worlds of these stories inevitably reflect our own, and the characters who inhabit them ultimately share our same emotions and ambitions. (...) It is for this reason that their experiences are captivating and resonate with the reader. But there is more: this subtle communication is also made possible by the translator’s mastery, by the flexibility - or rather the “foldability”- of her style: that alchemical skill of tracing and adapting the original text and returning it to us in a new language so that it feels fresh and unexpectedly familiar: fluid, nuanced, and elegant.

  • Presentation of the "Officina" Permanent Translation Workshop at la Lettura (October 24th 2021) for the publication of the short story Has Anyone Seen the Neighbor? (available at this link)

The Author and the Translation

Previously untranslated into Italian, Ho Sok Fong (Kedah, Malaysia, 1970) teaches in Taiwan. She is the author of two award-winning short story collections; the work published in la Lettura is included in the 2014 collection. The Italian translation was produced as part of the "Officina" Permanent Translation Workshop, set up under the guidance of the sinologist Silvia Pozzi at the Department of Human Sciences for Education "R. Massa" at the University of Milan-Bicocca.

Some people think that translators are, or should be, invisible; perhaps, it is truer to say that we almost never think about them, unless the Italian language of the book strikes us as awkward and convoluted. If we were to step into their world, we would discover that they are more alive than ever.

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