THE CHINA TRADE

In room C2 of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, you’ll find “The China trade”, an exhibition illustrating how, between 1757 and 1839, trade between the East and West was permitted only in the port of Guangzhou, called Canton at the time, thanks to an agreement signed between China and a number of European countries. Trade was mainly linked to the export of Chinese products to Europe rather than vice versa.

In 1839, however, the import of opium by the British caused the war that brought an end to those trading agreements and led to Hong Kong becoming a British colony.

In this room, take time to admire the magnificent 1:12 scale model of a Chinese junk, the Keying, famous for being the first ship of its kind to travel from Hong Kong to New York between 1846 and 1848. A large panel tells the story of its incredible voyage; such an extraordinary undertaking for the time that the British government struck a medal in its honor.