A show of treasures from the Maritime Silk Road is on display at the Maritime Museum in Quanzhou, Fujian province. The exhibition will run through March 8.
Nine cities including Quanzhou, Penglai, Yangzhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Guangzhou, Beihai, Nanjing, of the Maritime Silk Road presents more than 200 exhibit items to show off their glorious past. Exhibits include not only a wide range of exported porcelain, silk pieces and other specialties from China, but articles such as jewelries and mirrors from Europe discovered in the country as well as products of ancient international contact, including some of the earliest Christian relics in China.
The Maritime Silk Road, which ran from China through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean to Europe, started about the time of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Chinese navigator Zheng He and his fleets in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) also participated in maritime activity on the route.