On Friday, Journey Toward the Sea: The Story of Fuchuan and Maritime Voyages, an exhibition about the bond between the Chinese people and the sea, kicked off at the Changsha Museum in Hunan province. It will run until Aug 30.
Fuchuan, also known as the Fujian vessel, is one of the four types of ancient wooden sailing boats in China. This exhibition takes the fuchuan as a thread to explore the profound and enduring interaction between the Chinese people and the sea through multiple dimensions, including shipbuilding technology, maritime trade, ocean voyages, and social life.
The spatial design centers on the theme of "voyage" as a core visual element. It also introduces a specially designed character named Aming, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) navigator whose perspective as an ordinary sailor connects the exhibition's narrative, guiding visitors on an exploratory journey of the sea, voyages, and personal growth.
The exhibition is divided into four sections. The first focuses on the origin and development of the fuchuan, showcasing the evolution of traditional Chinese shipbuilding techniques through a series of model ships. The second section, themed around maritime trade, presents the trade and cultural exchanges along the Maritime Silk Road. The third section uses the voyages of Zheng He, a maritime explorer and diplomat of the Ming Dynasty, as a starting point to highlight the remarkable achievements of ancient Chinese ocean navigation. The fourth section shifts focus to social life, displaying the close connection between the sea and daily life through exhibits such as sailors' living conditions and folk costumes.
The exhibition features a restored model of a Song Dynasty (960-1279) sea vessel discovered in Quanzhou Bay in Fujian province in 1974. As the only ocean-going wooden sailing ship excavated in China that is known to have returned from abroad, its hull structure and construction techniques provide invaluable physical evidence for the study of fuchuan technology and maritime trade.
Notably, this exhibition extends beyond the fuchuan itself to include ordinary people behind the long voyages: sailors, shipbuilders, and residents of coastal settlements involved in trade, shipping, and daily routines. Together, these individuals formed the foundation of social development in China's southeastern coastal region. Through this lens, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on how long-distance voyages not only changed shipping routes but also transformed the way people understood the world.
