China is closer and showing increasing interest in Carrara marble, its image and its know-how. In the last few days, at the Hotel Excelsior, the administration of the Chinese city of Nan’an promoted, through the Versilia Foundation Arkad, a meeting with many entrepreneurs from Carrara and beyond, to further tighten collaboration and entrepreneurial and commercial partnerships. The mayor Serena Arrighi, although invited, was unable to attend. Lara Benfatto, the councillor for trade and productive activities, represented her.
“Two cities that are profoundly different but with the will to collaborate on major projects involving not only the stone sector but through the transformation and promotion of our marble build cultural and tourist bridges,” the councillor later wrote on social media, adding: “On behalf of the entire administration, I thanked the mayor of Nan’an and their companies for their willingness to consolidate this relationship.
In essence, the meeting served to strengthen relations or create new ones within the framework of a strategic cooperation agreement for creating a sort of Italy-branded commercial city.
But the protocol also emphasised the artistic aspect and the desire to enhance the stone sculpture of Nan’an and improve the general development level of the natural stone industry.
It was recalled that Nan’an (a city of one and a half million inhabitants) and Carrara have the large natural stone industry in common and that Carrara is the cradle of the stone industry, world-famous for its marble, and that Carrara marble is the leading material for stone sculpture projects.
The Nan’an area, as mentioned, is well-known to many entrepreneurs because it is close to where the Xiamen Fair takes place. At the Excelsior, there was a significant representation from the region and the Chinese city, administrators and entrepreneurs and the Apuan delegation, with leading entrepreneurs such as Alberto and Bernarda Franchi, Manrico Gemignani, Luca Soldati, the Canalgrande co-op, La Gioia quarrying, Barsi Marmi, Semap, Marmi Carrara srl, Mgi, Henraux (including the Foundation), Tekno Spedizioni, and various others.
Luciano Massari, director of the Academy of Fine Arts, was present precisely because, as mentioned, the day had an artistic declination.
From what emerges, beyond the confidentiality regarding the contents of the individual agreements and their figures, everything went well, and the meeting was fruitful, so much so that work and development were guaranteed.
Source: www.iltirreno.it
