The exhibition Launch from the Greater Bay Area: Nanhai I Shipwreck and the Maritime Silk Road opened at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center on August 16. The event is jointly organized by the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, China’s National Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government.
The exhibition showcases artifacts unearthed from the Nanhai I merchant ship, alongside related artifacts from Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao to illustrate the role of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area throughout the history of the Maritime Silk Road.
Among the 255 exhibits are artifacts discovered from Nanhai I, including a Nanhai kiln brown glazed porcelain jar with four handles, stamped with the Chinese characters "Chun Xi Shi Nian" (meaning “the tenth year of Chunxi reign”); a qingbai glazed foliated porcelain bowl with stamped plum blossom pattern from the Jingdezhen kiln; and a Longquan kiln ogee-shaped foliated celadon dish with incised lotus motifs.
Exhibits from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao include bottom fragment of a qingbai glazed porcelain bowl with inked Chinese characters "Gong Shi" (i.e. envoy) from the Hutian kiln of the Song dynasty from the site of the Nanyue Kingdom Palace in Guangzhou; a yellowish-green glazed porcelain jar with six lugs and dragon pattern of the Song dynasty from the site of the former Sacred Hill in Hong Kong; and a blue-and-white porcelain kendi with elephant head shaped spout from the Jingdezhen kiln of the Ming dynasty from the site of St. Paul's College in Macao.
The exhibition recounts the gradual formation of a multi-tiered trading port system centered on the port of Guangzhou, with Hong Kong, Macao and other places serving as transit hubs. It highlights the significant role of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the historical development of the Maritime Silk Road.
Source: Xinhua News
Photo credit: The People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality