Li Hui, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality (3rd from left), presents gifts to Alberto Fiorin and Dino Facchinetti at the reception held in Beijing on August 2. Photo: Dong Feng/GT

On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, two cyclists wrapped up their challenge of a lifetime - cycling from Venice to Beijing, where they arrived on Thursday after a grueling ride of 12,000 kilometers through 12 nations. To welcome their arrival, Italian Ambassador to China Massimo Ambrosetti hosted a reception at the residence of the Ambassador of Italy on Friday. The two cyclists have been thriving legacy of travel and exploration of Marco Polo in their own way.

Li Hui, deputy director-general of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, participated in the reception to congratulate the two cyclists: Alberto Fiorin and Dino Facchinetti, who are president and secretary of the Venetian Pedal Cycling Society.

The cyclists started from Venice on April 25, following in the footsteps of the great traveler Marco Polo, their route taking them through Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.

The initiative aims to emphasize the importance of sport as a tool for building bridges of peace between countries and to draw international attention to sustainable mobility, of which the bicycle is a symbol.

Ambassador Ambrosetti pointed out that their journey was part of the ancient Silk Road. "We can see that the people from Venice love to travel on both marine and land. Their arrival not just show us their remarkable sports capability, but also highlight the communication between our two countries in culture throughout history," he said, expressing his gratitude to the two cyclists for achieving their mission.

In his address, Li welcomed the two Italian cyclists, congratulating them for the success of the activity on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality. "Their arrival is a continuation and tribute to the road of cultural exchange opened by Marco Polo," he said.

China and Italy have a long history of friendly exchanges. More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road linked us together. more than 700 years ago, "Marco Polo's Travels" ignited the peoples on the European continent great enthusiasm for China's ancient oriental civilization.

In the contemporary era, the exchanges and cooperation between China and Italy have become deeper and more wide-ranging. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership.

Marco Polo spent half his time in China in Beijing, which was then capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the start of more than a thousand years of relations with Italy. During the Yuan Dynasty, Lugou Bridge in Beijing's present-day Fengtai district, first became known in Western culture under the name Marco Polo Bridge, Li continued.

The two cyclists visited Lugou Bridge on their way to Beijing. In the Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, the statues of Marco Polo and the Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan, tell the story of the integration of Chinese and foreign people during the Yuan period.

Alberto Fiorin told the Global Times that he was impressed by the statue and the story of the Marco Polo Bridge.

"I'm astonished by this. In Venice, we don't have such statue named after him," he said.

Fiorin said that the Chinese people are very friendly and on their way to Beijing, many people stopped them, offering water and watermelon to them, offering shelter from the rains and taking selfies with them.

The two cyclists presented the city flag of Venice to Li. In return, Li presented miniature ornaments of the landscape of the Beijing Central Axis, inviting them to cycle along the Central Axis of Beijing.

Right before the arrival of the two cyclists, the Beijing Central Axis was included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Talking about his understanding of travel, Fiorin said that one should be humble instead of showing pride, and by doing so, one can overcome biases and truly understand the local people.

"Through my journey, I have known more about the people in the 12 countries, much more than what I've learned from media reports," he said.

As a present, the Ambassador gave Li Invisible Cities, the Chinese version of a book by Italo Calvino that consists of a sequence of imaginary dialogues between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan.