PAGODE final conference, a promise accomplished

PAGODE final conference,   a promise accomplished

In the two-day final conference of the PAGODE project results were presented as well as exchange of knowledge and best practices that support the digital transformation of cultural heritage institutions with a focus on Chinese Cultural Heritage hosted in European Cultural Institutions. Speakers shared their experiences of making Chinese cultural heritage collections accessible via Europeana and of developing tools towards this direction. 

The core objective of the PAGODE project was to contribute towards the generation of a rich user experience, and high audience engagement with Europeana, by proposing a thematic approach to the aggregation, curation and presentation of Chinese cultural related content that is hosted in European museums and cultural heritage institutions.

Promoting further understanding of the cultural values of China and the cultural exchange between China and Europe allow cultural heritage institutions to connect and to share their collections and metadata across new sectors and countries. It offers the foundations for further reinterpretation of questions of the circulation, trade, collecting and display of Chinese art in modern Europe. Through the Europe-China relationship, from historical and contemporary perspectives, the diversified cultures can build a civilizational digital belt, facilitating connectivity between the European Union and China.

The PAGODE – Europeana China project was an excellent vessel through which to think about the role of cultural diplomacy that Europeana and Chinese heritage institutes are typically bound to play. The decision to conceive the PAGODE project, moving its geographic and ideological centre from its home, was a result of the feeling of necessity of rethinking the Eurocentric view of the world and to symbolically cease the cultural supremacy of the West, yet rooted in Europe with a digital international dimension. 

The project was a lesson to see the world again in an unprejudiced way, unlearning the predominant cultural conditioning that explicitly presupposed the supremacy of the West, its institutions and culture over the ‘other’, the ‘rest’. Cultural interchanges between China and Europe are an opportunity which must be seized by creating bridges between two ancient cultures and cherishing its legacies.

One of the main outcomes of the PAGODE project is a book, realized as a printed publication and in PDF format. This book celebrates the concept and successful outcomes of PAGODE – Europeana China, dedicated to discover and showcase in Europeana cultural heritage gems testifying to the centuries-old connections between China and Europe.

The book is a high-profile publication including both academic reflections on China-related cultural heritage preserved in Europe, and – for the joy of the eyes – outstanding examples of objects and photographs discovered in European cultural heritage institutions. 

Find out more

All project outcomes are available on the project website. A section dedicated to Good Practicespresents the PAGODE tools pertaining to quality standards, semantic research, metadata creation and enrichment. Reports on the two technical workshops and video recordings from the PAGODE Digital Festival and the Final Conference are available as well. 

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