Quanzhou Maritime Museum

Introducing Quanzhou Maritime Museum
Quanzhou Maritime Museum is a national-level museum in Quanzhou City. Quanzhou Maritime Museum was established in 1991. Currently boasting a building area of 17,300 square meters and an exhibition area of 11,000 square meters, the museum focuses on ancient maritime trade, the Maritime Silk Road, and the resulting economic and cultural exchanges of ancient Quanzhou.

Centered around the history of Citong Port (the city flower of Quanzhou), the once-largest port in the East during the Middle Ages, the museum vividly recreates China’s glorious maritime culture through its rich and unique collection of maritime artifacts. It celebrates the heroic spirit of the Chinese people in conquering the seas, showcasing China’s significant contribution to opening the Maritime Silk Road and its many great inventions in shipbuilding and navigation technology.

The Quanzhou Maritime Museum currently features seven permanent exhibitions. Besides a national treasure — a Song Dynasty shipwreck and its numerous accompanying artifacts — the exhibits include dozens of ancient anchors made of wood, iron, and stone; hundreds of stone carvings from the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties; export porcelain from various periods; over 200 model ships representing different types of vessels from various Chinese waterways throughout history; and artifacts reflecting the customs and traditions related to maritime trade.

Quanzhou Maritime Museum Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Quán Zhōu Hǎi Wài Jiāo Tōng Shǐ Bó Wù Guǎn 泉州海外交通史博物馆
• Best Time to Visit: All year around
• Recommended Visiting Hours: 2 - 3 x hours
• Things to Do: Photography, Maritime Culture and History
• Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 – 17:00
• Entrance Fee: Free
• Address: 425 Donghu Street, Fengze District, Quanzhou, Fujian Province

What to Expect at the Quanzhou Maritime Museum
Journey back a millennium to Quanzhou, a city once thrumming with the energy of the Maritime Silk Road. The Quanzhou Maritime Museum isn’t just a collection of artifacts; it’s a portal to a golden age, vividly portraying the city’s role as a pivotal hub. Explore expertly curated exhibits showcasing the Road’s origins, the ingenuity of Quanzhou’s shipbuilding, the bustling maritime trade that defined the era, and the daily lives of its inhabitants. In the context of today’s Belt and Road Initiative, a visit offers a powerful and insightful connection to the deep historical roots of China’s global maritime engagement.

Exhibition of Quanzhou Maritime
Explore Quanzhou’s rich maritime history in a 700-square-meter exhibition spanning from the Neolithic Age to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). This exhibition reveals Quanzhou’s significant contributions to shipbuilding, navigation, international trade, cultural exchange, and defense. Uncover the city’s crucial role in the Maritime Silk Road through a compelling collection of artifacts: ancient city bricks showcasing early development; exquisite export porcelain testament to its thriving trade; detailed navigational charts charting global voyages; and luxurious silk exemplifying its renowned craftsmanship.

Exhibition of Quanzhou Ancient Sailing Vessel
The centerpiece of this museum is a remarkably well-preserved 1000-year-old Song Dynasty sailing vessel, unearthed near Quanzhou Port in 1973 after a year-long excavation. This ancient vessel, one of the oldest and largest wooden sailing ships ever found, offers invaluable insights into the advanced shipbuilding technology of the Song Dynasty. The accompanying exhibition showcases a wealth of artifacts recovered from the wreck, including medicines, spices, coins (copper and iron), bamboo and rattan articles, porcelain fragments, wooden ship components, anchors, and even organic remains such as fruit pits and shells. This extraordinary discovery illuminates the Song Dynasty’s sophisticated seafaring capabilities, their mastery of shipbuilding, and their pivotal role in extensive economic and cultural exchange across Asia.

Exhibition of China Maritime Construction (The World of China’s Ships)
The Exhibition of China Maritime Construction explores China’s rich history of shipbuilding and naval architecture, offering a fascinating look at China’s maritime ingenuity and its enduring impact on the nation’s culture and development, from its earliest origins to modern times. Over 140 ship models are on display, including examples from Zheng He’s grand Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) fleet and warships from 17th-century naval battles. The exhibition also features a diverse collection of actual boats, such as a Taiwanese Yami boat, a Tibetan yak-skin boat, a Yellow River sheepskin raft, a Mosuo dugout canoe, and a Shaoxing black-awning boat.

Exhibition of Quanzhou Religious Stone Carvings
Quanzhou boasts a remarkable collection of hundreds of stone carvings, a legacy of the foreign communities who called the city home during the Song and Yuan dynasties. These carvings, which include tombstones, sarcophagus lids, statues, and architectural fragments from religious structures, offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives and beliefs of these diverse groups. Representing major religions like ancient Christianity, Hinduism, and Manichaeism, the artifacts beautifully illustrate the vibrant cultural exchange between East and West that flourished in medieval Quanzhou. This highlights the city’s historical openness, tolerance, and commitment to peaceful international relations.

Exhibition of the Arab-Persian Presence in Quanzhou
The arrival of Islam in Quanzhou can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). During this period, many Arab and Persian merchants arrived via the Maritime Silk Road. By the Southern Song and Yuan dynasties (1127-1368), Quanzhou, a major port on China’s southeast coast, had become the largest commercial center and settlement for Arab and Persian merchants in the Far East. This exhibition, the first of its kind in China jointly developed by China and Islamic nations, showcases 121 artifacts, 19 replicas, and 26 archival documents left by these immigrants who settled in Quanzhou. Furthermore, the exhibition also introduces several prominent families of Arab descent still residing in Quanzhou today.

Exhibition of Quanzhou Maritime Customs & Folk Culture
Focusing on the maritime heritage of the Quanzhou region, this exhibition presents a collection of historical folk artifacts dating back centuries. Alongside tools for production and daily life, and objects related to festivals and religious practices, the exhibition highlights Quanzhou’s seafaring traditions with a significant display of nautical instruments, traditional navigation and fishing tools, equipment used in tidal flat aquaculture and inshore fishing, and related religious and festival objects.

Exhibition of the Zhuang Hengdai Collection
Zhuang Hengdai (1926-2009), former Director-General of the Taiwan Police Agency, donated his lifelong collection to the Quanzhou Maritime Museum, his hometown’s institution. After leaving Quanzhou in his youth and serving for over five decades in Taiwan, he maintained a strong connection to his roots. His donation of 1,856 pieces from 53 countries and regions comprises a diverse collection of jade, gold, silver, bronze, tin, ceramics, bamboo, and wood artifacts, showcasing a wide range of artistic styles and cultural influences.

How to Get to Quanzhou Maritime Museum
• By Bus: Take bus K1 to Minghulukou (Minghu Road) Station.

Additional Travel Advice on Quanzhou Maritime Museum
• The museum is closed on Mondays except Chinese public holidays.
• Food and colored drinks are not allowed in the museum.