Chongqing—An Italian storybook dog and a bear created by a Chongqing kindergarten brought two cultures into the same story on Oct. 23, as children explored Italy through bilingual reading, theater and illustrations of their own.

The event at Bashu Kindergarten in Chongqing's Yuzhong District was jointly organized by the kindergarten and the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing for the 26th Week of the Italian Language in the World. It brought together more than 200 children, teachers and parent representatives from the kindergarten and its partner schools.

At the center of the exchange was Pimpa, a popular Italian children's character, whose adventures offered young listeners a way to encounter an unfamiliar language and culture. Alongside her was Creative Bear, a character developed by Bashu Kindergarten.

The pairing gave the children a role beyond listening: they helped bring the characters' shared adventures to life and contributed to an original picture book combining elements of Chongqing with Italian art.

"We hope children will use their own eyes to discover a distant and fascinating country, and feel for themselves that the world can be so big, yet so close," said Zhou Maoshu, the kindergarten's principal.

Zhou said the activities were intended to nurture curiosity, openness and friendship, while giving visiting guests a glimpse of how children at the kindergarten express themselves through creative work.

During a reading session in Chinese and Italian, representatives from the consulate and kindergarten teachers shared passages from a book about Pimpa's Travels in Italy. Animated stories provided another introduction to the character, as children guessed what would happen next and tried out Italian sounds.

Teachers, children and parents then performed an original play featuring Pimpa and Creative Bear. Children in the audience joined in by suggesting ways for the characters to navigate their adventure, making the performance a shared storytelling exercise.

Fabio Schina, Italy's consul general in Chongqing, said language can help people discover new worlds and build connections. Although Italian and Chinese are different, he said, curiosity, friendship and the desire to play are shared across cultures.

He encouraged the children to grow into open-minded people who are willing both to listen to others and to tell their own stories.

That exchange of perspectives also took the form of books. The consulate donated 100 copies of a picture book about Pimpa's travels in Italy. In return, the kindergarten presented an original picture book created and illustrated by teachers and children, featuring an adventure shared by Creative Bear and Pimpa.

Combining local Chongqing elements with Italian artistic influences, the children's book offered a response to the stories they had encountered: an invitation for their Italian guests to discover something of their world, too.

The event took place in the year marking the 56th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Italy. Its focus on imagination and storytelling connected with the Language Week's 2026 theme, which explores Italian as a language for conceiving ideas, designing and creating.

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