Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum

Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum

The Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum is situated on the site of the former Thirteen Hongs merchant area from the Qing Dynasty (No. 37, Erma Road, Xidi, Liwan District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, within Guangzhou Cultural Park), covering an area of 3,060 square meters with a total construction area of 6,090 square meters. It currently houses a collection of over 4,800 cultural relics (sets). The permanent exhibitions include the “Historical Exhibition of the Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs in the Qing Dynasty” and the “Special Exhibition of Relics from the Thirteen Hongs Period Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Wang Heng and Feng Jie.” All the relics in the museum’s collection have been donated free of charge by enthusiastic individuals from China and abroad. On August 31, 2016, the Thirteen Hongs Museum began trial operations, and it officially opened to the public for free on September 30. The museum’s collection exceeds 4,800 relics (sets), showcasing the history of the Thirteen Hongs through a combination of “cultural relics and historical documents.”

The “Historical Exhibition of the Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs in the Qing Dynasty” on the first floor of the exhibition hall consists of six major sections: “Opening the Sea and Establishing Customs,” “Scenes of the Thirteen Hongs,” “Merchants of the Thirteen Hongs,” “Trade of the Thirteen Hongs,” “East-West Convergence,” and “Transition to Modern Times.” The exhibition uses a wealth of precious historical documents and relics preserved both domestically and overseas to depict the nearly hundred-year history of the Thirteen Hongs as a trading port from its peak to its decline. It also reflects significant historical events such as China’s foreign trade, the Guangzhou merchant community, the eastward spread of Eastern knowledge and the westward spread of Western knowledge. The exhibition showcases the pioneering, pragmatic, and enterprising spirit of Cantonese merchants, as well as the open-minded maritime civilization of the people of Lingnan. It serves to inspire the people of Guangzhou as they continue to write a new chapter in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The “Exhibition of Relics from the Thirteen Hongs Period” displays relics related to the Thirteen Hongs era collected from around the world and donated to the museum by enthusiasts from China and abroad. These include porcelain, export paintings, ivory ware, rosewood furniture, and pith paintings, covering the main types of export handicrafts produced in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty.

The items that best exemplify the craftsmanship and exceptional skill of the Thirteen Hongs period are the Canton enamel bowls decorated with floral motifs and human figures, as well as those featuring scenes of foreign voyages. The Canton enamel bowl with floral motifs and human figures is richly colored and exquisitely painted. Its outer belly features a pattern depicting musicians in a courtyard, accented with double lion handles, making it a prized piece of Rockefeller porcelain highly sought after by collectors. The Canton enamel bowl featuring a foreign voyage scene is exquisitely shaped and was specially commissioned as a souvenir upon the arrival of a foreign merchant ship in Guangzhou. The center of the bowl bears the marking “1757” to commemorate the year of the voyage. Next to it is the English inscription “Elizabethdarling,” and the porcelain depicts scenes of crew members reuniting with their loved ones.

The “Special Exhibition of Relics from the Thirteen Hongs Period Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Wang Heng and Feng Jie” on the second floor of the exhibition hall showcases precious relics from the Qing Dynasty Thirteen Hongs period that were collected by Mr. Wang Heng, a renowned cultural relic appraiser and collector in Guangzhou and chairman of D&S Audio Technology Co., Ltd., along with his wife Ms. Feng Jie, during their travels across Europe and America over the past decade. These relics were donated to the museum free of charge. The collection includes Guangzhou enamelware, pith paintings, Canton embroidery, ivory ware, export fans, rosewood furniture, as well as silverware, enamelware, glass paintings, watercolor paintings, oil paintings, and lacquerware. These items cover the main types of export handicrafts produced in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty and highlight the diligence, wisdom, and talent of the people of Guangzhou. Among them, hundreds of pieces of rosewood furniture are a rare specialized collection in China, while over 600 pieces of Guangzhou enamelware from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty to the modern era feature a comprehensive range of types, providing substantial material evidence for the study of Guangzhou enamelware. The pith painting collection boasts a rich variety of themes, encompassing all aspects of life, and this long-lost gem of the ancient city of Guangzhou bears witness to the prosperity, vibrancy, and daily life of ordinary citizens in Qing Dynasty Guangzhou, offering valuable materials and references for in-depth research into the history and culture of the Thirteen Hongs.

Unlike many other museums, all the relics in this museum’s collection have been donated free of charge by members of the public, without using any government funding. Among these, Mr. Wang Heng, a renowned cultural relic appraiser and entrepreneur in Guangzhou, and his wife Ms. Feng Jie, donated a wide array of relics including Guangzhou enamelware, pith paintings, Canton embroidery, ivory ware, export fans, rosewood furniture, as well as silverware, enamelware, glass paintings, watercolor paintings, oil paintings, and lacquerware. These items cover the main types of export handicrafts produced in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty.

Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00 (ticket sales stop at 16:00), closed on Mondays.

Address: No. 37, Erma Road, Xidi, Liwan District, Guangzhou City (within Guangzhou Cultural Park).

Metro: Exit A or B, Culture Park Station, Lines 6/8.

Bus: Culture Park (bus stop) — Routes 552, 57, 208, 131B, 209, 238, 31, 38.

Tel: 020-81265300

Postal Code: 510130

Email: gz13hongs@126.com

Further Reading:

· National Third-Class Museum of China