Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c16.s1.t2: Quanzhou Maritime Museum
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c16.s1.t2
- Language
- English
Quanzhou Maritime Museum
v2.c16.s1.t2.1
Quanzhou Maritime Museum is the unique Chinese museum with the special topic of maritime history. It is named QZMM in short. It was founded in 1959 and its new museum was established in 1991. The museum is divided into two parts, ie
v2.c16.s1.t2.2
Quanzhou Overseas Museum on the History of Communications in China
v2.c16.s1.t2.3
New Museum and Old Museum. Old Museum is located in Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple and is Ancient Ship Museum. The New Museum is located beside Quanzhou East Lake. The main building of New Museum is innovatively designed as a brigantine, and takes up 33,000 sq. m of floor space and has a built-up area of 7,300 sq. m.
v2.c16.s1.t2.4
Permanent exhibitions of Quanzhou Maritime Museum include Quanzhou Ancient Ship Exhibition Hall, Quanzhou and Ancient Maritime Exhibition Hall, Quanzhou Religious Stone Carving Exhibition Hall, China Boat World, Quanzhou Exhibition Hall of Maritime Folk Customs and Culture etc.
v2.c16.s1.t2.5
The ancient name of Quanzhou City, Fujian Province was “Citong” and it was an importance business port for foreign trade in ancient China and a starting point of the “Overseas Silk Road”. It had close business links with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East and Europe. Quanzhou’s interactions with foreign countries were frequent in the period from Southern Song Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty particularly ie during several hundred years between the 10^th^ century CE and the 15^th^ century CE. It played an important role in India-China cultural exchanges. Its Hindu stone carvings displayed in Religious Stone Carving Exhibition Hall are powerful historical witnesses.