China, Italy set up joint specialist arts college

XI'AN, July 26 (Xinhua) - China's Northwest University (NWU) will partner with Italy's University of Salento to establish a new school of cultural heritage and arts, aiming to leverage their resources to cultivate more talents and boost scientific research.

It marks that China and Italy, two countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage sites worldwide, have the first joint college in the cultural heritage area, according to the NWU.

The new college will be dedicated to collaborative education on relics conservation and fine arts, said Wen Rui, vice president of the School of Cultural Heritage in the NWU.

To give the two universities' advantages into full play, the curriculum will cover special training in conservation methods of diverse relic categories, Wen said.

"The two universities' main research orientations are highly complementary," Wen said. Wen cited pottery, porcelain and metalware protection as the NWU's leading subjects, compared with those of the University of Salento, including fine arts and stone relics conservation and restoration theory.

Based on the newly founded school, the two sides will seek improved cooperation in the conservation and restoration of historical relics from countries along the Belt and Road to foster an international platform for talent cultivation and scientific research, Wen added.

Located in Xi'an, the NWU is the first university in China to offer courses in cultural relic-protection technology. It has additional momentum from the city's rich cultural heritage, including the world-renowned army of terra cotta warriors.