An exhibition commemorating the 700th anniversary of the death of the Italian explorer Marco Polo opened on Saturday at the China Academy of Art (CAA) in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

The event is titled "The Perfect Path: Hangzhou, Marco Polo's 'city of heaven'" and is co-hosted by the CAA and La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale).

"Both China and Italy are ancient civilizations with rich cultures and enduring historical traditions, and they have made fundamental contributions to the evolution of human civilization," said Jin Yibin, Party secretary of the CAA, at the opening ceremony.

Closely linked by the 2,000-year-old Silk Road, the joint hosting of the exhibition is another fine example of the two nations' cultural inclusiveness and innovativeness, said Jin.