Special Exhibitions 

Our underwater heritage encompasses the rich cultural relics of humankind. Such heritage, discovered through underwater archaeological investigations, provides testimony to our shared history and the Maritime Silk Routes which Chinese, Arab, Asian and Western traders followed for over 2000 years. The term, “die Seidenstraße” (The Silk Routes), was first coined by the German geologist Ferdinand Von Richthofen in 1877. The name was given to the ancient and extensive transcontinental trade network connecting the East and the West. In the second century BCE, the imperial envoy Zhang Qian was dispatched to Central Asia during the time of the Han dynasty. Maritime trade starting from South China towards Central and West Asia was developed and commercial relations between the East and the West began to flourish.