The opening ceremony of exhibition “Reflections of Maritime Connections: 16th -19th Century Sino-Portuguese Cultural Exchange” was held on Friday, featuring a selection of 177 precious items, including exported Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) porcelain shipped through Macau, as well as gifts exchanged between the monarchs of the two nations during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
The four-month exhibition runs until March 8 next year at the Macau Museum of Art (MAM), divided into three sections consisting of “Dawn of the Porcelain Road”, “Cultural Exchange in Porcelain” and “Dialogues between Courts”, showcasing the multifaceted cultural exchanges of the private and public trade between China and Portugal through the Maritime Silk Road from the 16th to the 19th centuries, highlighting the unique position of Macau as a hub between the Orient and the Occident for cultural convergence.
The Macau Museum of Art is open to the public between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man said in a speech that the exhibition features more than 170 treasures from the Palace Museum, her bureau, as well as Portuguese institutions such as the National Museum of Ancient Art, the Orient Foundation (FO), and the Ajuda Library*, covering exported porcelain products from the Ming Dynasty that were shipped through Macau, as well as gifts exchanged between China and Portugal during the Qing Dynasty.
Leong pointed out that the artefacts bear witness to Macau’s history as an important entrepot along the Maritime Silk Road, showcasing the cultural exchanges and friendly relations between China and Portugal that have flourished for over four centuries.
Leong noted that a new beginning where both countries actively use culture to strengthen ties between nations as they continue to develop Macau as “a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist”.
Leong added that her bureau will continue to deepen cultural exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese mainland and the international community, particularly with Portuguese-speaking countries, to enrich the idea of Macau being a “base” for relations between China and the Portuguese-speaking world, and also to promote the vigorous development of Macau’s cultural heritage.
* The Ajuda Library (“Biblioteca da Ajuda” in Portuguese) is a historic royal library located within the Ajuda National Palace in Lisbon. Founded in the 18th century after the Portuguese capital’s devastating 1755 earthquake, it was originally established to serve the royal family and the court. Ajuda is a civil parish and district of Lisbon. – DeepSeek
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man addresses Friday’s opening ceremony of the “Reflections of Maritime Connections: 16th -19th Century Sino-Portuguese Cultural Exchange” exhibition at the Macau Museum of Art (MAM) at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape. – Photos: Ida Cheong
These photos show the unearthed porcelain items displayed at the ongoing exhibition “Reflections of Maritime Connections: 16th -19th Century Sino-Portuguese Cultural Exchange” at the Macau Museum of Art in Nape.
