Curated by the head of Institutions of Chinart Lu Peng and Achille Bonito Oliva, an art critic who introduced Chinese contemporary art to the Venice Biennale in 1993, A Gift to Marco Polo presents the artists' interpretation and understanding of Italian art, European culture and western civilisation while reflecting where Chinese contemporary art, and the mainland, are at today.

Bar works by Fang and Zhou Chunya, the show is a refreshing break from what you usually see from these artists in auction rooms where many have made their name in the past couple of years.

The exhibition, which runs until July 2, pays tribute to 'Marco Polo's passion for the Orient' by engaging 10 contemporary artists - also including He Duoling, Zhang Peili, Ye Fang and Icelandic artist Inga Svala Thorsdottir, who collaborated with Wu on To Buy is to Create - in a cultural dialogue that dates back many centuries.

Lu says 'the myth' of Polo's travel to China continues to draw new ideas and creativity, not least from the Chinese people.

'These 10 artists present the communication problem and the complexity of east-west exchange,' he says. 'They are trying to blend knowledge and critical thought with calm, persuasive discussions through a specific historical subject. In an open manner without conclusions, their works show the conflict and harmony of mankind.'

Oliva says the concept of travel encompasses departure and return. Just as Polo travelled to the east more than 700 years ago, Chinese artists have made their way to the west before returning home with new ideas. The exchange has come full circle, the Italian curator says. 'Many of these artists have absorbed western influences in their practice yet are able to maintain their own concept and unique characteristics,' says Oliva, who was the director of the Venice Biennale in 1993.

Zhou Chunya - whose best-known series features giant sculptures or paintings of a German Shepherd puppy named Hei Gen in shocking green - studied in Germany in the mid-1980s. 'His gift comes from his integration of the Chinese temperament and German spirit,' Lu says.

Wang's On-site installation explores the political and cultural connection between Italy and China. The artist says the two countries 'formed a complex relationship in the river of history'.

'As a piece of historical evidence, Yuanmingyuan is of special significance, containing complex cultural and political conflicts. In these scenes, the pathos of history reflects on the disaster, as well as memories of the tragedy, and have all become questions for today.'

Not all of the works are serious or heavily academic. Zhang Peili's inflatable Piazza San Marco is a fun but biting satire on Chinese imitations. The artist found a replica of Piazza San Marco in Hangzhou, where Polo is said to have once visited. Zhang's installation, which fills up with air before collapsing into a heap, sets out to show that since the mainland's 'opening up' reforms in the late 1970s, the country is willing to learn from the west, the artist says.

'However, due to the lack of basic knowledge, the Chinese exposed their emptiness of spirit and history, lack of innovation and poor standards during the study process,' Zhang says.

Yue's Series of Labyrinth views the traditional Chinese garden as a labyrinth of history and reality, according to Lu. He incorporates works by Chinese ink masters in this piece, introducing them to an international audience who may not be familiar with their paintings.

'These artists had never before taken part in exhibitions like the Venice Biennale, therefore I'm trying, using this work, to fulfil a shadowy dream for them,' says Yue, who also wants to look at the question of traditional Chinese culture in a modern-day context.

Still on the subject of gardens is Ye Fang's installation The Hall, a model of a 'Suzhou garden' that is scheduled to be built on the grounds of the Venice International University next year. The Museum of Contemporary Art (Moca) Shanghai, which is another partner of A Gift to Marco Polo, has been commissioned to design and build the structure as a permanent space on the campus.

Samuel Kung Ming-kwong, chairman and director of Moca Shanghai, says that in 2007, he, the museum's curator Victoria Lu and Umberto Vattani, president of the Italian Trade Commission, came up with the idea of building a Chinese garden in Venice to 'complete the dream of Marco Polo'.

'Marco Polo described his travelling experience in southern China by writing 'beautiful scenery everywhere, which makes you wonder whether you are in paradise'. The Chinese garden was the reflection of heaven in his eyes,' says Kung.

Born in Suzhou, also known as the 'Venice of the East', Ye has always wanted to bring the aesthetics and art of the Chinese garden to the 'City of Water'. He says his garden will be a harmonious fusion of east and west. 'The structure will neither be in conflict with its natural environment nor will it be overshadowed by its surroundings. It will blend in with the rest in perfect harmony,' Ye says.

Kung says A Gift to Marco Polo has raised many questions about Chinese contemporary art and its relations with the rest of the global art scene, not least how it is perceived in the west today. He recalls a forum on the show, when a member of the audience asked why few would categorise contemporary art from North America or Europe yet that from the mainland is often referred to as 'Chinese contemporary art'.

'I think that is because China is a relative newcomer in the field and when its new art surfaced over the past two decades or so, the rest of the world found this genre intriguing because of its unique style and historical as well as political references,' says Kung.

'I don't think there is a positive or negative connotation to the labelling, it is just a term to describe this genre that has made an impact on the international art scene in recent years.'

A Gift to Marco Polo, Venice International University, Island of San Servolo. Ends July 2