For centuries relations between Europe and China were concurrent with the interaction between Italy and the Chinese Empire. This situation ended in the 19th century when Great Britain forcibly opened China to international trade. At the end of the century, knowledge of the Italian Risorgimento, with such heroes as Garibaldi, Mazzini, and Cavour, inspired some Chinese intellectuals in their effort to launch a national renewal.
The role played by Italian literature in the renewal of the Chinese literary canon was certainly limited, compared to other western literatures. However Italian authors and their works were not completely absent in the cultural Chinese arena at the beginning of the 20th century. Some important magazines of that period (Xiaoshuo yuebao, Dongfang zazhi, Xin qingnian) offered to Chinese readers a taste of Italian fiction, poetry and drama.
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