Francesco D'Arelli Photos: Courtesy of the Italian Institute of Culture in Shanghai

The 2026 Spring Festival is the Year of the Horse. To Francesco D'Arelli, director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Shanghai, the relevance started even earlier. The Horses: Symbols of Millenary Power from the Mediterranean to Jiangnan exhibition, a collaboration between the Italian Consulate in Shanghai and the Museum of Wu in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, was staged. 

D'Arelli told the Global Times that he took the opportunity to complete his essay for a volume dedicated to the horse, which is showcased in the format of a picture album. 

A poster of the exhibition titled Horses: Symbols of Millenary Power from the Mediterranean to Jiangnan

The exhibition explored the enduring cultural significance of horses as symbols of strength and speed throughout history. The exhibition highlighted an intercultural celebration of the historical relation between mankind and the horse. It specifically focused on the horse's role as a symbol of power and its influence on the development of human civilization, particularly bridging the Mediterranean and Jiangnan region (south of the Yangtze River area).

D'Arelli said the museum goers have more to expect. "We are currently working on the production of the exhibition catalogue, which is intentionally scheduled to be published during the Year of the Horse 2026. My contribution focuses on the role of the [zodiac] animal in the development of the cultural exchanges between China and Italy, with particular attention to the voices in the literature and philosophical texts from the antiquity, going through the Renaissance," he said.

As a wish for this New Year of the Horse, the director, who has been working on the role for five years, expects to see further growth in the quality and impact of the cultural exchanges between China and Italy, two major representatives of human civilizations.