Images of China, between 1900 and 1950, "told" by an excellent photographic documentation. Visions of China of yesteryear with the eyes and the camera lenses of the Xaverian Missionaries.

In the 1850s, the Qing dynasty found itself in a period of decline. The European nations took advantage of the situation and impose their trades (Opium War 1839-1840), demanding concessions of sea ports and extra-territorial privileges. The reaction of the Chinese people was manifested above all in the year 1900 with the Boxer insurrection. This was followed by a struggling period that led to the end of the dynasty and the establishment of the Republic (1912).

The following years saw wars, and the occupation of China by Japan. The unification of the country took place in 1949 with the start of the People's Republic of China.

""The many close-ups of these images draw an intense participation: pain, famine, misery are read in the faces of the elderly; the joy of children explodes in their smiles; simple gestures, awe-filled wonder before statues of the Crucifix or the Madonna. The camera lenses capture and enhance the beauty of a civilization, the tenacity of the people, often tormented by historical upheavals, but always able to rise with dignity and inner strength ". (Luigi Lanzi)

The Xaverian missionaries, even though they entered China for religious reasons, found themselves involved in the events of the Chinese people, took part in its sufferings, and tried to alleviate them with great dedication. This volume illustrates the times and the events of their mission in China, from 1899 to 1954.

Edition CSAM, Brescia, 1998 - Fotoincisa Reprolit srl, e Tecnografica snc Parma
Centro Internazionale Arte e Cultura, Parma - Text in Italian, English and Chinese. Pages 190. Price: €15.

The purpose of this publication is to catalogue the collection of Jun shards of Parma’s Museum of Chinese Art. The Authors have participated to this effort with their own resources.

This initiative was made possible by the contribution of Roberta Enseki Hancock (France) who provided the graphics, editing, and the software; Prof. Sabrina Rastelli (Italy), an eminent scholar in Chinese ceramics, for the text, and the personal interest of Giovanni Repetti, curator of the research and the restoration of the Jun Ware.

Writes Giovanni Repetti in the introduction: “Jun ware has been fascinating for centuries collectors and connoisseurs, both in the East and the West, and recently its dating has become the focus of a heated debate among scholars from all over the world. The wide admiration for Jun ceramics is easily justified by its beauty, which lies in the striking visual qualities of the glaze: bluish in color, with hues varying from green to white, to sky blue and even lavender, and opalescent.”

In all, the collection comprised 45 shards, embedded in 7 badly worm-eaten wood frames which needed urgent attention.  The restoration work represented an excellent opportunity to make a photographic documentation of those fragments since they had to be removed from the frames and then, publish the documentation to add to the Museum’s series of catalogues and pamphlets.

In this CD book, firstly we see the various shards of Jun Ware, then the technology, the literary and Western history, the archeological history and a rich bibliography, with beautiful photographs of each object. The CD (which works in various modern browsers) gives various formats to view the themes suggested, both as a book and a Slideshow.

Edition CSAM, Brescia, 2001 - Centro Saveriano Animazione Missionaria, Brescia
Text in English and Italian. Price €15.

Clémentine M. Faïk-Nzuji, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, professor at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium and one of the world's leading experts in Bantu linguistics, semantics of oral literatures, symbology, tattoos and scarifications in African societies, presents a 72-page study of the sacred origin of African art objects.

The author answers the question: how were these objects made for their natural environment? why were they made? who gave them meaning and which one is it?
Together with the volume, there are 30 teaching cards which present a theme, an object or a category of objects, and the context and function for which they were made.

From the Introduction to the book: "In the catalogs of African art museums, ethnographic objects are presented mainly for their formal and aesthetic appearance, to the detriment of their function in the environment which produced them. This is undoubtedly due to the aura of mystery in which their first users wore them, but also to the attitude of European collectors who, fascinated by their form, could not see behind the masks and statuettes that they were collecting.

Without diminishing its aesthetic values, this book aims to place these artistic creations in the natural context in which they were produced, which was mainly a religious and social context. The latter in fact reveals the psychological motivations and the peculiar way of understanding the world that led Africans to produce these objects, giving them meaning and function of mediation in ritual celebrations.

The text is richly illustrated with over one hundred objects coming from the Traditional African art collection of the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography of the Xaverian Missionaries of Parma; with photographs showing objects in their natural environment of use; with poetic texts that confirm their context of origin; with numerous graphic symbols, which are found reproduced on the objects and the human body, as evidence of the sacred origin of these objects of African art.

The presentation is by Jean-Leonard Touadi, native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a degree in Philosophy and master in Journalism and Mass Communications, Councilor in Youth and University policies for the City of Rome.

Edition CSAM, Brescia, 2005
Pages 72, with photos of ethnographic objects in their original environment. Price: € 15.

This volume collects the lectures and conferences of prof. Ye Zhemin during his stay in Europe. Preface of Prof. Stefania Stafutti, of the University of Turin, and introduction by Fr. Augusto Luca. The lectures are illustrated by 80 pages in full color, with comments on the topics covered.

Professor Ye Zhemin of the Beijing Central Academy of Arts and Crafts is a leading scholar of "Ancient Chinese Pottery", a teacher, researcher, lecturer known internationally.
In May 1998, the Museum invited the professor for conferences in Italy and Great Britain. We thus had the opportunity to evaluate the Chinese objects of our collection and to organize conferences on Chinese ceramics in Italian cities and universities, and in Oxfort and Cambridge, in Great Britain.

"In the home of a happy family, simple ceramic shines more than jade." (Chinese proverb)

After the preface by prof. Stefania Stafutti of the University of Turin and a broad introduction by Fr. Augusto Luca, the conferences by Prof. Ye Zhemin are presented and illustrated by 80 photos. The themes deal with the historical development of Chinese ceramics, the relationship between ceramics and the art of Chinese calligraphy and painting, the splendid ceramics of the Song period, the Cizhou ceramics, the "white and blue" porcelains, the ceramics of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

At the end, the volume offers maps of China (the administrative division), of the main archaeological sites, of famous kilns for the production of ceramics; and a glossary of the Chinese characters on the topic.

Edition CSAM, Brescia, 2000
The most prestigious kilns of China
Pages 145, 80 photos. The volume is available in English and Italian. Price: € 12.

This volume presents a collection of Chinese coins, put together by the Xaverian missionaries who worked in China. It contains interesting notes on the making, materials, inscriptions and value, history and explanations.

Since its beginning, Bishop Conforti, founder of the Xaverian missionaries and this museum, desired a numismatic collection put together by the Xaverian missionaries who worked in China (1899-1954).
The Museum, in fact, has a collection of over 5,000 Chinese coins divided into four groups that complement each other and whose name is due to the collectors: the Bonardi Red collection of over 1400 pieces; the Bonardi Blue collection of over 600 pieces; the Rossi-Scalzi collection of over 1300 pieces, and finally the Grazzi collection, with over 5000 pieces. The work of cataloging has allowed us to eliminate worn out or broken coins, as well as duplicates.

All this vast collection was put together in Henan and Shanxi in the period 1904-1942, and the words of Prof. Serafino Ricci attest to rarity and richness of this collection: “It is one of the best existing collections of Chinese coins, because of its rarity, variety, and the richness of the oldest pieces of which it is composed."

The “Rossi Scalzi collection” is exhibited at the Museum, held in an elegant, ingenious, hand-painted wood container built in China.

This volume is divided into 4 sections. First, an introduction to Chinese numismatics, with manufacturing methods, materials, and value of coins. Then, a brief history of the collection, which introduces the third section on dynasties and coins. A fourth section expands on an interesting comparison between East and West on the topic of numismatics.

Edition Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico, Parma, 2012
Quaderni del Museo 1 – La collezione numismatica del Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico di Parma. 
Pages 56, illustrated. Out of Print Price: € 12.

The volume contains the catalog published on the occasion of the exhibition on the Kayapò people in the year 2002. The book presents the "Kayapò", a people who live in Northern Brazil, and their works of art, covering the everyday life, with its beauty and refinement, the cycles of life, and their sense of belonging and survival.

This people, who lives in the forest and is subject to continuous movements, has been able to transform their own experience into art. The artifacts, the tools, the colors and the design of the body painting, the descriptions of ceremonies and the myths of the objects on display at the museum, illustrated in the book, are charming illustrations of their lifestyle.

Beautiful is the world, beautiful the moon and the stars,
beautiful are forest, animals, spirits that move in the thick of green.
Beautiful is the sowing and beautiful is the harvest,
beautiful are turtles and beetles,
beautiful are flowers and butterflies.
Beautiful is the great predator, and the parrots with colored feathers.
Beautiful is the river that quenches the forest by day and by night,
its shores are beautiful.
Beautiful is the fish
and beautiful is the feast for fishing.
It is beautiful and pleasant to live this way on earth.

The author of the collection and ethnographic notes is Father Renato Trevisan who has lived with the Kayapò people for over 25 years. Living with them, together with other missionaries, he tried to help this people to defend its cultural identity and its territory, awakening a critical conscience before the great challenges this people have to make: to leave their villages, to confront the challenges of modernization, without getting losing their identity.

Edition CSAM, Brescia, 2002
Un popolo dell’Amazzonia: la sua arte, la sua cultura.
Pages 120, with photographs of original artifacts. Price: € 12.

The volume “Amuleti della collezione del Museo d'Arte Cinese ed Etnografico di Parma” by E. Iurman introduces the symbols of Chinese culture found in the coin good-luck charms of the collection of the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography of the Xaverian missionaries in Parma. It is a novelty for Italy. The research done allows to understand better these charms, and at the same time, enter more deeply into the Chinese culture.

Discover the charm of Chinese symbols, with a total of 111 Chinese good-luck charms against evil spirits, for the Zodiac year, for good-luck, long-life, wealth, etc…

“In a refined culture like the Chinese one, fan of allusions, symbols, references to legends and popular beliefs, these objects are full of charm and allow us to take a look at the insecurities, idiosyncrasies, expectations, beliefs and meaning present in the heart of the Chinese as well as people the world over.
The almost universal circulation of such objects is known. China is no exception. Historical figures, plants, animals and benevolent constellations are evoked in order to keep away harmful spirits and creatures, or to wish happiness, success, career, wealth, etc ... Further, they resort to references and literary recollections, to legendary figures, to significant words, to symbols etc... It is indeed an extraordinary world that is worth discovering" (from the Presentation of the Notebook)

The Museum Booklet is divided into 4 sections. First of all, the Catalog of amulets, divided according to the traditional classifications of Chinese scholars. The explanation of ideograms and iconographic elements in the second section. A glossary of the inscriptions, and a glossary of the symbols. The fourth section includes the 111 photos of the good-luck charms.

Edition Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico, Parma, 2014
Printing Graphital Edizioni
Study book of the Museum 2 – Amuleti della collezione del Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico di Parma.
Pages 64, illustrated. Price: € 15.

Emilio Iurman presents his latest study book entitled “Cose di Cina Quotidiana (1900-1950)” “Things of Daily China” on the ethnographic collection of the Museum of Chinese Art in Parma. A brief history of meetings cultures, as the museum and a missionary congregation retell their stories.

In the introduction of the book, Iurman writes: "For some time I had come into contact with thousands of ethnographic objects of the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography of Parma, from around the world ... Of all that real cluster of cosmopolitan artifacts that I touched with my own hands, the Chinese objects had been the most valuable, because they belonged to the early years of the Institute…”...

After a long and careful study of “Fede e Civiltà” ("Faith and Civilization"), the official magazine of the Xaverian congregation, Iurman highlights the stories of the missionaries who worked in China, and they "explain" the material present at the Museum. Those missionaries were eager to describe the same objects of everyday life in China, for they are part of a modest yet exciting story: dozens of Xaverians understood China, even through these objects.

This book aims to unveil an insignificant yet “daily” China, precisely, far from the splendor and superiority of the imperial court; but nevertheless alive, industrious and brilliant.

The 296-page book is divided into several chapters which illustrate the geographical, historical and religious environment, the occupations of life, its different ages, and the customs of everyday China. Finally, a short section dedicated to contributors, the Xaverians who through their stories of everyday life in China have well described the ethnographic material. The last 120 color pages show a photographic catalog of the entire Chinese ethnographic collection of the Museum.

Edition Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico di Parma, 2016
Printing Best Copy snc Parma
Cose di Cina Quotidiana – La collezione etnografica del Museo d'Arte Cinese di Parma
Pages 296, illustrated. Price: € 45.