Introduction

　　 Guangdong is located on thecoast of the South China Seawith an indented shoreline and numerous harbors. It has been an important hub for foreign maritime trade since the Han Dynasty.In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, along with the expansion of global trade routes, silk,porcelain,and tea,as well as various Chinese crafts andarts,wereexportedto Europe and the Americasfrom Guangdong, becoming an important link connecting Eastern and Western civilizations.

　　In the 22nd year of the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty(1757), the “Canton System” was issued. The Thirteen Hongs of Guangdong became the only authorized merchant guildin charge of managing maritime trade between China and Western countries. Due to the excellent geographical location and special policysupport, Guangzhou monopolized the maritime trade between China and the West for nearly a century, becoming not only a key link in the global trade network in the heyday of the Qing dynasty but also the majorproduction base and distribution centerof Chinese export art.

　 　A wide range of export artworks with diverse forms were produced in Guangdong, includingembroidery,Cantonfamille roseporcelain,Canton carving, exportpainting,export enamelware, export silverwares, export lacquerware, exportfans,and business card boxes. These works carry forward the essence of traditional Chinese aesthetics infused withthe distinctiveaesthetic tasteof Lingnan, while also embracing the exotic appeal of Western cultural influences. Chinese export artworks became a social fashionin the West,setting off a long-lasting wave of “Chinoiserie.”

　　As one of the institutions in China with the most comprehensive and finest collections of export art, the Guangdong Museum has long been dedicated to the collection, conservation, research, and presentation of these cultural relics. This exhibition brings together more than one hundred exquisite Qing-dynasty export artworks from the museum’s collection, using objects as a medium to revisitthe magnificent history of exchanges between East and West. We warmly invite you to enter this visual and cultural feast and experience the fascinatingchapter in which diverse aesthetics intertwined and shone together along the Maritime Silk Road.