| Introduction
Located in the historical Xin Zhong Yuen in Jiao Tong University (established
1896), the C.Y.Tung Maritime Museum is jointly founded by HongKong's Tung
Foundation and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The two-story, western-style
building with a charming centre courtyard was built ninety years ago.
It was at one time a student's residence. The 600m2 exhibition
space houses the Chinese Maritime History Gallery and the C.Y.Tung Gallery.
The former contains a permanent exhibition of maps, photograghs, archival
material, maritime trade routes and their artifacts, reflecting China's
maritime history since the Neolithic Period. Through the permanent display
of objects, photographs, archival material, and ship models, the C.Y.Tung
Gallery attempts to portray the many-sided talents and activities of one
of the "Seven Sea Barons of the World". Although a global citizen
and a multinational entrepreneur, C.Y.Tung remained consummately Chinese,
intensely proud of his heritage.
1st FLOOR Chinese Marine History
Gallery Introduction
China is a vast country bordered on the east by a long coastline and criss-crossed
by a network of rivers. The life of the inhabitants on this ancient land
had long been intertwined with rivers, seas and lakes. Their wisdom had
contributed to various inventions and progress in shipbuilding and navigation.
As early as pre-historical age, the inhabitants had left behind wonderful
legends about the oceans. During the Middle Ages, the "Silk and Porcelain
Marine Route" had already developed trade links between the East
and the West. In the early Ming Dynasty, Chinese Admiral Zheng He commanded
fleets and undertook seven great ocean voyages, demonstrating China's
marine skills and navigational prowess. The saga of these historical expeditions
and China's seafaring traditions had laid grounds for further developments
in shipbuilding and navigation, and also forged economic and cultural
exchanges.
1st FLOOR C.Y.Tung Gallery
C.Y.Tung (1912-1982), of Zhejiang Dinghai descent, was born in Shanghai
to a merchant family of modest means. Yet in a few decades, with determination
and overcoming insurmountable obstacles, he built a shipping empire, one
of the largest in the world, comprising a fleet of over eleven million
tons, and a worldwide business conglomerate spanning banking, insurance,
property, shipyards, and energy related industries. The exibits under
the heading of "Man of the Sea" and "Man of the Shore",
trace his life-long dedication to shipping, his wide range of interests
that include the arts, shipboard university, inernational affairs, and
his commitment to his commitment to his family and friends. It is a celebration
of his pioneering spirit and inspirational life.
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