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Exhibition Tour: "East Meets West: Maritime Silk Routes in the 13th – 18th Centuries"

2018-11-07

On 7 November, Maritime Silk Road Society and Savantas Liberal Arts Academy co-organized a guided tour on “East Meets West: Maritime Silk Routes in the 13th – 18th Centuries”, a thematic exhibition held at Hong Kong Maritime Museum with 30 participants.

The exhibition is divided into five sections, namely “Connecting the Globe”, “Mapping East and West”, “Economic Sea”, “Sunken Treasures” and “Maritime Civilisations”.

 “Connecting the Globe” introduces the development of Maritime Silk Routes and important sailing routes between East and West. “Mapping East and West” illustrates navigational maps and charts, and present interpretations of China via historical Western and Chinese maps. “Economic Sea” outlines how commodities such as tea, medicine, spice, porcelain, silk, gold, silver as well as precious gems accelerate global economic development. “Sunken Treasures” presents the Song anchor stock excavated from Hong Kong waters and discusses the role of Hong Kong in the global maritime silk routes. “Maritime Civilisations” discusses the spread of religion across the ocean including Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, and religious relics remains found in China.

The museum docents passed on their maritime knowledge to visitors in a vivid and intriguing way. Visitors could gain insight and understanding of Hong Kong’s maritime history, and Hong Kong’s role in maritime silk routes and globalization. They also shared some interesting facts about the Maritime Silk Road with the visitors. The Temple of the South China Sea God, also called “Po Luo Miao”, was witness to the cultural exchange between Chinese and the Palas of India. Besides, Zoroastrian, which was spread from Persia to China via the Silk Road, also has a surprisingly strong presence in Hong Kong. The well-known Star Ferry was founded by Parsi Zorastrians and its stars symbolize light and purity. The docents presented to the visitors the astounding archaeological finds in an inspiring and interesting manner.