The bad news came at an altitude of about 4,000 metres. Stefano Mangini was at the Chinese border about to ride over to Pakistan, but was stopped because he didn't have a document that allowed him to leave the country with his motorbike. Frustrated, the Italian photographer and author had to return to Kashgar before flying to Urumqi to get the piece of paper required. 'It was scary,' says Mangini, 36. 'In three days, my visa for Pakistan would expire. I decided to consult the I-Ching, as I always did when I had problems in China.' He got a positive answer. 'When I crossed the border, there was a big official with a big belly at the checkpoint. He opened his arms and said, 'Welcome to Pakistan'. It was just a few kilometres from China, but the attitude was so different. I met very friendly people there.' The incident illustrates the cultural differences between the neighbouring countries that may not be apparent solely from reading newspapers or watching television. Mangini's fascination with other cultures - and their differences - led him on a 41/2 month solo journey five years ago that took him through five civilisations: Chinese, Persian, Ottoman, Greek and Roman. He's now sharing his experience of that trip in an exhibition, From China to Italy by Motorcycle, featuring photos and writings from his travels through villages not even marked on most maps. Having spent five years in Shanghai, Mangini rode home in April 2002. The 25,000km trip took him through China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and finally Italy. 'The cultures in the east always touch me deeply,' he says. 'While working in India, I thought of riding back. Then a job in Shanghai came up. I'd never been to China and really wanted to explore the country. After four years in Shanghai, I knew the time had come and started to plan.' Born in Genoa to a family of tailors, he studied fashion marketing in Florence and New York. After the 2002 trip, he obtained an MBA in Italy. Then he came to Hong Kong three years ago to work for a French fashion company. Recently, he left his job to become a full-time artist. Mangini says he has wanted to do so for some time. He's living in Hong Kong while he finishes another art project on China, which involves combining some of his photos with old shots taken by an Italian soldier. One of the images he likes most from his latest exhibition was taken in Pakistan during a sand-storm. It's of a man covering his mouth with his turban, although his eyes show that he's smiling. The faces Mangini captured in China are beautiful, whereas those from Pakistan tend to have a sense of destiny. Even the man pointing a rifle at the camera is somehow tender and touching. The photos were taken less than a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and when war was raging in Afghanistan. The images from Turkey are enchanting: white landscape radiating a light that's timeless. 'In Turkey, the Ottomans and the Romans are still present at every corner,' he says. 'I witnessed the co-existence of completely different heritages and religions once dominant in this country.' During the trip, he wrote e-mails to his friends that formed the basis of Restless Travellers from China to Italy by Motorcycle: The Story, which was published last month. 'In China, even in a town that has nothing, there is always an internet cafe with a lot of kids playing computer games,' he says. 'In Iran, that wasn't the case.' Mangini's writing, more meditative than his photos, tells how, underneath these contrasting civilisations, there's always something in common. In China, while looking for Wudu, a small town north of Chengdu, he rode through the mountains and saw valleys open and disappear, like a mirage. He thought of bandits and fuel shortages. Then, in the middle of nowhere, an old man showed him the way. Such serendipity occurred again and again. 'Somehow, no matter how isolated the place can be, no matter how crowded the roads are, I can always find a wise, silent man,' he writes. 'Calm, apparently waiting for someone to come by.' As with many who write in a second language, Mangini's prose carries the rhythm of his mother tongue. He has read Marco Polo's travels and loves Dante. 'I chose to write in English because I want more people from different cultures to read my book and take this journey,' he says. His images communicate what words can't: the roles of the world's four main religious heritages - Buddhism, Islam, Orthodox Catholicism and Roman Catholicism - in their present- day contexts. In the temples of China, the Mosques of Iran and the monasteries of Greece, people silently express their faiths. Originally planned as part of last year's Year of Italy in China, the exhibition has been shown in four cities in Italy, including Milan, before coming to Hong Kong. 'I try to follow my dreams and not to be trapped by my daily life,' says Mangini. 'This journey allowed me to witness the struggle of these cultures at the same pace as the more developed countries. In Italy, people always complain about things, but I think those aren't real issues. To me, the real issue is how people in China cope with change. In China, I find the energy lost in Italy.' But some things don't change that much, as Mangini has found with his latest project, comparing his photos of China with those of an Italian soldier from about a century ago. 'It's surprising how similar the images are,' he says. 'Everyone is talking how quick China is changing, but few notice that there's an old, forgotten China, with the ancient culture, existing side by side with the modern life.' From China to Italy by Motorcycle, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, 7A Kennedy Road, Central. Ends May 2
