Visual Archives of the Silk and Spice Routes

Opened in 1997 and relocated to its present building in 2003, the museum focuses on the historical connections between the cultures of Asia, especially through the lens of Singaporean ancestral cultures. Permanent exhibits include the South Asian and Chinese galleries, as well as the Khoo Teck Puat Gallery, which houses cargo recovered from the 9th century Tang Shipwreck comprising more than 60,000 Tang Dynasty ceramics.

The so-called “Haitian Corridor” or “Silk Road cultural hub” opened in 2017 at the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou in cooperation with the Guangdong Provincial Museum. The first exhibition of this publicly operated art center showcases the history of foreign trade in the city as part of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Opened in 2006 by the president of the International Zheng He Society, Tan Ta Sen, the museum is the largest in Melaka. The museum illustrates the famous Chinese explorer’s maritime voyages through sections such as the Old Malacca Village, Treasure Ship, and Antique Gallery, with various reonstructed ship displays and historic artifacts.

This national museum opened in 2009 and is the largest of its kind in China, comprising six exhibition halls such as the Hall of Seafarers, the Hall of Ships, and the Hall of Navigation and Ports.

First opened to the public in 1959, the museum features a collection of over 160,000 pieces highlighting the history and culture of Guangdong. The museum also serves as a temporary exhibition sites for artefacts excavated at “Nanhai I”, an ancient merchant ship which contains ceremics and other goods to be traded along the Maritime Silk Road.

Established in 1929 and housed in the Five-Story Pagoda in central Guangzhou, the museum comprises two major exhibition spaces. The pagoda itself contains nearly 1,000 pieces relating to the city’s history and culture, while the art gallery features relics and handcrafts which highlight Guangzhou’s importance as a port along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Originally opened in 2005 and relocated in 2013 to the Central Harbour Waterfront, the museum explores over 3,000 years of maritime history focusing on Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and the Pearl River Delta. The museum houses over 2,000 objects through various galleries such as The China Trade, Sea Bandits, and Hong Kong Ships and Shipyards.

Established in 1814, the museum is the largest and oldest museum in India, with collections ranging from antiques and armour to fossils, mummies, and Mughal paintings. With over 35 galleries displayed through six permanent sections on art, archaelogy, anthropology, geology, zoology, and botany, the museum houses over 100,000 objects.

Inaugurated on 13 March 2017, Marine Heritage Gallery is part of the Minsitry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia. It mainly displays shipwrecks goods that are found and extracted from Indonesian waters. The initial collection includes roughly 1.500 ceramics originated, among others, from the Tang Dinasty and Song Dinasty extracted from the shipwrecks found in Belitung strait and Riau Islands.

Opened in 2006 by the president of the International Zheng He Society, Tan Ta Sen, the museum is the largest in Melaka. The museum illustrates the famous Chinese explorer’s maritime voyages through sections such as the Old Malacca Village, Treasure Ship, and Antique Gallery, with various reonstructed ship displays and historic artifacts.Located within Resorts World Sentosa, this private museum has been open since 2011 as an interactive exploration of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Its 15 galleries showcase various projections and ship models, in addition to a re-imagined journey through Quanzhou, Oman, Calicut, and Malacca to examine the heritage of the Maritime SIlk Route.

Originally established in 1977 and located in former Dutch East India Company warehouses, the musuem focuses on the maritime history of Indonesia, with various ship models and exhibitions on maritime traditions, navigational tools, and maps. On display are also life-size wax figures of famous explorers such as Zheng He and Marco Polo, as the museum narrates maritime interactions.

Established by the Indian Navy, the museum contains giant replicas of naval ships in addition to collections of weapons, defense equipment, and naval arms.

Opened to the public in 1994 by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the major attraction of the museum is no doubt the 34-meter tall replica of the 16th century Portuguese vessel Flor de la Mar. The museum also houses various artifacts, documents, and exhibits from Malacca that illustrate the city’s role in maritime relations in the region.

Originally established in 1830 and located in St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco), the museum explores the art and history of Venice, with sections on Neoclassical sculpture, documentation regarding public institutions and naval acheivements, and Venetian painting up to the 16th century.

Opened in its current location in 1973, the museum houses one of the largest maritime collections in the world with approximately 400,000 items covering 500 years of Dutch maritime history, including paintings, scale models of ships, world maps, and navigation instruments. A replica of the 18th century ship Amsterdam, which sailed between the East Indies and the Netherlands, is also moored beside the museum.

Established in 1949 and in its currnet location since 1960, the museum contains over 200,000 items spanning 5,000 years. Permanent collections include the gallery of Harappan Civilization and the Central Asian Gallery, which includes a collection of artifacts collected by the famous 20th century archaeological explorer Sir Aurel Stein from more than 100 cities along the Ancient Silk Road.

Opened in 2006 by the president of the International Zheng He Society, Tan Ta Sen, the museum is the largest Established in 2003 by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, the museum covers Chinese history up till the end of the Qing Dynasty, with a permament collection of over one million items that includes ancient bronzeware, pottery, and other artwork. In the recent special exhibition ‘Sharing a Common Future’, the museum partnered with national museums in 12 other countries to showcase cultural exchange along the ancient Land and Maritime Silk Roads.

Established in 1919 under the Italian Royal Navy, the museum is most famous for its 42-room Ships Pavillion which houses vessels of historical importance.

Established in 1959, the museum now comprises both old and new locations that highlight the history of the port city. The old location exhibits ancient boats, while the new brig-shaped site houses the following four exhibition halls: Quanzhou Overseas Communications, Quanzhou Religious Sculpture, Ancient Chinese Sailboats Models, and Quanzhou Customs and Culture.

Founded in 1952 and relocated to its current location in the People’s Square in 1996, the museum houses 140,000 items including ancient Chinese bronze and ceramics, as well as calligraphy, paintings, seals, and jades. Special exhibitions range from ethnic minoirity art and bamboo carvings to various foreign collections.

This museum (which also houses a mini-zoo) was established in the 1960s, and houses minerals, pottery from various shipwrecks, and other Items that showcase the island’s history.

Opened in 2007, the museum explores the history of Xi’an, the capital city of 13 dynasties and eastern departure point of the ancient Silk Road. The museum houses upwards of 130,000 items, many originating from the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties.

Opened in 2006 by the president of the International Zheng He Society, Tan Ta Sen, the museum is the largest in Melaka. The museum illustrates the famous Chinese explorer’s maritime voyages through sections such as the Old Malacca Village, Treasure Ship, and Antique Established in 1959, the current museum building opened to the public in 2005 and houses over 30,000 items that showcase the region’s history and culture. Permanent exhibitions include an exhibit on the ancient mummies of Xinjiang, as well as one on the region’s ethnic customs.

Opened in 2006 by the president of the International Opened in 2014, the museum It is one of the key reconstruction projects after the 2010 Yushu earthquake. The museum’s main function is therefore to protect, study, and exhibit both material and intangible culture heritages of Yushu and the region. It also showcases the natural heritage of the Sanjiangyuan River Basin.