Fondazione Agnelli is launching the Agnelli Chair of Italian Culture in Peking: a bridge with China to promote knowledge of Italy and foster dialogue between the two countries.
Established in spring 2025, the Agnelli Chair of Italian Culture aims to bring Italian culture in all its dimensions closer to students and faculty at China’s leading university. It presents to the country’s future leadership the contribution that Italy has historically made — and continues to make today — not only in the arts, but also in creativity, scientific and technological knowledge, the economy and society.
The Agnelli Chair of Italian Culture was conceived and promoted by Fondazione Agnelli in collaboration with the TOChina Hub of the University of Turin.
The Chair is built around an innovative model: in each of the two academic terms, a new Chairholder will be appointed on a rotating basis. Chairholders will be selected from among distinguished and outstanding scholars and experts, not necessarily only Italian, capable of offering a broad perspective on both historical and contemporary Italian culture. Their work will explore the key forces shaping Italian culture across fields ranging from the humanities and the arts to the natural, social and applied sciences.
Each Chairholder will reside in Peking for a period ranging from two and a half to four months. Beyond their teaching activities, they will also serve as ambassadors of Italian culture in China, establishing connections with Chinese academic communities in their field and engaging with students to stimulate their interest in Italy. At the same time, the Chair seeks to create lasting opportunities for two-way dialogue between China and Italy, fostering deeper mutual understanding.
For this reason, the Agnelli Chair is based within CEPIRC, an autonomous structure of Peking University dedicated to developing cultural ties with Europe. CEPIRC itself emerged from years of work carried out through the Italy-China Philanthropy Forum, led by Professor Romano Prodi and Professor Giovanni Andornino of the University of Turin, of which Fondazione Agnelli has been a member since its first edition.
The activities of the Chair also involve the Department of Italian Studies at Peking University and the Italian Cultural Institute in China.