Illustrators for Gianni Rodari. Italian Excellence

Gong Min is director of the Preschool Education Professional Committee of the National Institute of Education, deputy director of the 8th Shanghai Preschool Education Professional Committee, and a part-time tutor at the Preschool Education Department of East China Normal University and Shanghai Normal University. She has participated in the research and consolidation of the Shanghai official preschool curriculum. Gong’s publications include Visual Enlightenment; Footprints of Progress and Waiting for Flowers to Bloom.
Gong Min has been awarded many honorific titles, including “National Teacher of Excellence” and “Shanghai Educator of Excellence”. She has won the First Prize in the Shanghai Teaching Competition, as well as the Shanghai Basic Education Teaching Achievements Award.

Currently general manager of Shanghai Shang-Yi Trading Co., Ltd. (Hsin-Yi Picture Books), Huang Runfang has previously worked as a media reporter and editor, and has held managerial positions at Bertelsmann and leading financial group HSBC. She boasts an extensive operational and managerial experience and is familiar with every link of the publishing industry chain.
In 2010, Huang left her position as editor-in-chief of the HSBC Jinxin Fund’s education website and returned to the publishing industry as general manager of Hsin-Yi Picture Books, a publishing company specialising in children’s books. A key player in the Chinese picture book industry, Hsin-Yi has published several market leading titles, including long-sellers such as Guess How Much I Love You and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Born in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, Li Qingming holds a PhD in philosophy.He is an advocate of “Countryside Education”in China and a well-known supporter of children's literacy, which earned him the title of “China’s ‘top ten figures in reading promotion”. He is a member of the national expert training database established by the Chinese Ministry of Education, deputy director of Jiangsu Institute of Situated Learning, and vice president of the New Education Research Institute. As an author, Li has published more than 10 books, including Children's Educational Poetry,The Possibilities of Education and The Upbringing of Children. He has been engaged in educational experimental projects in rural and peri-urban areas in Haiyong (Jiangsu province), in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen, and Beilun, in Zhejiang Province. He is a strong supporter of the practice of liberal education, merit awareness, civic instruction, cultural literacy, and believes in dynamic teaching and learning. He is also a pioneer of children's philosophical education in China.

Yinuo has a B.S. in biology from Tsinghua University in Beijing and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from UCLA. She founded ETU School in 2016.
Yinuo started to serve on the 21st Century Education Research Institute as one of the trustees earlier in 2020. She also serves on the Academic Advisory Board for the Schwarzman Scholarship, and was on the final selection committee of Rhodes Scholarship in China from 2015 to 2019.
Yinuo was selected as World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader in 2016 and was elected the “Top 10 Charity Figure of the Year” by ifeng.com in 2017. In 2018, Yinuo was awarded with “Women of the Year” by Portrait Magazine and was listed by Center for China and Globalization as one of “40 Influential Returnees in 40 Years of Reform and Opening-up”.
In her personal capacity, Yinuo and her husband co-founded the wechat public account “nulishehui” in 2014, which became one of the most followed accounts for readers who care about social and global issues, with over 12 million followers.

Mei Zihan is an author of children's literature, professor at Shanghai Normal University, member of the Chinese Writers’ Association, and a promoter of children's literacy. Mei’s portfolio includes the works Daughter’s Story and Dai Xiaojiao and his Buddies, amongst others. He has also written and edited many theoretical works, such as The Narrative Style of Children's Novels. Mei has also won the National Award for Excellence in Children's Literature and the “Literary Titans” Award of the Chinese Writers’ Association.

Co-founder and vice president of the Sino Italian Publishing Cultural Association, Sara Wang is the CEO of Sìdee Cultural Communication, an agency specialising in representing Italian authors and publishers. She is the Chinese agent for many acclaimed titles, including Codex Seraphinianus (Luigi Serafini) published by United Sky, Il gioco delle idee (Marcello Lippi) published by Yilin, Americano (Massimiliano Virgilio) published by White horse, and La storia degli uomini (Gianni Rodari), published by Jieli.
She is a regular collaborator of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair since 2016 and is one of the organisers of the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition in China.
In 2018, she served as jury member in the Silent Book Contest.

After she graduated in Pedagogy in 1983, Grazia Gotti founded the Cooperativa Giannino Stoppani with a group of kindergarten and primary school teachers and educators. The Cooperativa runs an independent children's bookstore and organises illustration exhibitions and other events related to children's books.
Grazia Gotti currently collaborates with many publishers, scouting for books and curating book series, and is also consultant for the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Since 2003 she is a member of the Board of Education of the Accademia Drosselmeier, a research centre and training school for teachers, educators, librarians and booksellers. Grazia is also the author of several books, including A scuola con i libri. Avventure di una libraia-maestra (At School with Books—The Adventures of a Teacher and Bookseller),Rizzoli, 2013; Ne ho vedute tante da raccontar. Crescere con i libri (I Have So Many Things To Tell You About—Growing up with Books), Giunti Editore, 2014; 21 donne all'Assemblea (21 Women at the Assembly), Bompiani, 2016. In 2019 she published her first picture book, Europa, illustrated by Daniela Stamatiadi (Edizioni Primavera).
In 2020, she is serving as president of the National Committee for the Gianni Rodari Centenary Celebrations.