A new exhibition titled Reflections of Maritime Connections: 16th–19th Century Sino-Portuguese Cultural Exchange opens next Friday at the Macao Museum of Art (known by the Portuguese initials MAM).
The showcase presents 177 artefacts illustrating four centuries of trade and cultural exchange between China and Portugal via the Maritime Silk Road, highlighting Macao’s key intermediary role. It’s divided into three three sections: Dawn of the Porcelain Road, Cultural Exchange in Porcelain and Dialogues between Courts.
According to a statement from the Cultural Affairs Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials IC), Reflections of Maritime Connections highlights the “amicable” relationship between the Qing court and Portugal’s royal family, along with Macao’s key intermediary role in connecting them.
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Highlights include a blue-and-white lidded jar from the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty, from Beijing’s Palace Museum’s collection, and a phoenix-decorated porcelain kendi from the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon.
Other notable exhibits feature porcelain items bearing Portuguese coats of arms, a rare illustrated document from the Great Yellow Roll imperial edict usually kept at Lisbon’s Ajuda Library, and porcelain shards unearthed in Macao.
A series of events delving further into the artefacts’ historical context will be held during the exhibition. On 8 November, ceramics expert Rafael Alfenim of Lisbon’s National Museum of Ancient Art will give a lecture on Chinese porcelain’s influence on Portuguese ceramics, while painting and printmaking workshops have been scheduled between 15 and 23 November.
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The Macao Chinese Orchestra will also perform in the exhibition hall on 9 November and 21 December.
Jointly organised by IC and the Palace Museum, with support from the National Museum of Ancient Art, the Orient Foundation and the Ajuda Library, Reflections of Maritime Connections runs until 8 March 2026. Free guided tours in Cantonese will be available on weekends and public holidays starting 15 November.
MAM is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm, including public holidays. Admission is free.
