Žana Stević, professor of the Italian language and literature at Banja Luka Grammar School, gave an online lecture on 17 December 2020 on the topic “Million” Marco Polo – Real and Imaginary along the Silk Road, as part of the educational activities of the Confucius Classroom in this school, under the auspices of the Confucius Institute at University of Banja Luka. The lecture was held through the Google Meet platform for the pupils and professors of the Banja Luka Grammar School.
In her 45-minute-lecture, professor Žana Stević talked about the life and travels of the Italian explorer Marco Polo, as well as about his work “Million”, which is considered one of the best 13-century Italian travelogues.
In her presentation, Stević explained that Marco Polo recorded his travels through eastern Asia in the book “Million”, giving an insight into the culture of this part of the world. His writings though are mixed with the real and unreal, reality and imagination, and it is difficult to distinguish between what really happened and what is the product of imagination, as
there is no mention of any specific Chinese symbols such as tea or the
Great Wall of China.
This lecture was the second online lecture organized by the Confucius Classroom at the Grammar School. In addition to promoting the Chinese language in this secondary school, the Confucius Classroom aims to organize cultural activities and lectures to enable the pupils to learn more
about the traditional and modern Chinese culture.