深圳大学海洋艺术研究中心代表团奔赴欧洲博物馆追寻中国古代海洋艺术

    A group of scholars and artists from Shenzhen launched an inspection and communication tour around Western Europe with the support of the Ocean Art Research Center of Shenzhen University in mid-June for the purposes of academic and cultural exchanges.

    The tour was to enhance cooperation between China and European countries along the Belt and Road and was also an academic resource study of Chinese oceanic culture.

    “One of the main purposes of our tour to the renowned museums in Western Europe is to tell the stories of the many time-honored art masterpieces made by Chinese artists,” said Zhang Yanxin, the director of the Ocean Art Research Center of Shenzhen University, at the European Parliament Headquarters in Belgium.

    Istvan Ujhelyi, the vice chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism and the chair of the Europe-China One Belt One Road Culture and Tourism Development Committee, met the delegation from Shenzhen University at the European Parliament Headquarters on June 21 in Brussels.

    During the talks, Ujhelyi, Zhang, and Liang Erping, deputy editor-in-chief of the Shenzhen Evening News, discussed how to actively respond to the proposal under the framework of China-EU high-level dialogues.

    They came to an agreement to deepen cooperation between China and Europe by promoting cultural exchange activities such as exhibitions for Chinese maritime painting arts. Both sides had the intention to hold a maritime art exhibition in the European Parliament Headquarters.

    The delegation visited the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp. The curator recalled that it had been 16 years since the last visit from Chinese scholars. Although the museum was temporarily closed for maintenance, it opened its doors to the Chinese scholars. With passion and admiration for ancient relics, the delegation specifically studied Chinese ancient ship models in several museums in Western Europe. Museum aan de Stroom in Belgium was their first stop, where they visited hundreds of Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) ship models that have been exhibited.

    The delegation also visited Museum Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where a themed exhibition to explore oceanic culture was being held. The assistant curator of the museum, Pieter Jan Klapwijk, sacrificed his weekend to receive the delegation.

    To welcome the Chinese scholars, the museum even showcased a few ancient models of Chinese ships. Jan Klapwijk said that they had collected a few models of Chinese ships and would like to study the ships together with the Chinese scholars.

    The British Science Museum also made an exception for the Chinese scholars by allowing them to take pictures of the valuable ship models in its collection under the negotiations made by the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom.

    Chinese porcelain was another major commodity traded along the Maritime Silk Road and has been popular in Europe for centuries. The delegation, under the arrangement of Yang Xiaolong, the head of the culture division of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, paid a visit to the studio of Jan Van Campen, an expert in the field of Asian trades.

    Inside the studio, the delegation discussed trade between the Netherlands, Japan and China during the age of exploration. Van Campen gave two of his books about the trading history to the delegation and expressed his wish to continue research in China’s oceanic culture.

    (Zhang Qian, Wang Piaoyi)