Underwater Porcelain Makes Public Debut at Sanya International Museum Day

On May 17, 2026, the "5·18 International Museum Day" Sanya main venue event kicked off at the Sanya Sports Center in Hainan Province. Running through August 31, the "Hand in Hand with This Sea: An Epic Voyage of the South China Sea Civilization" maritime cultural series is open to the public free of charge. Among the programme's many highlights, the Sanya Museum's collection of underwater porcelain — fresh from storage and making its first-ever public appearance — and a first-of-its-kind five-institution joint exhibition stand out as the defining features of this year's celebration.

Guided by the Sanya Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, hosted by the Sanya Public Cultural Center, and organised by the Sanya Museum, the event brings together five cultural institutions in an unprecedented collaborative format. Joining the Sanya Museum are the South China Sea Cultural Museum of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, the Sanya Cultural Centre, the Sanya Shanhai Bei Cultural Museum, and the Sanya Tanka Cultural Museum. Together they have launched a suite of themed exhibitions, alongside a concurrent Hainan Free Trade Port development exhibition, presenting a panoramic vision of Sanya's maritime journey — a city born of the sea, thriving because of it.

Stepping into the exhibition hall, visitors are greeted by a corridor that traces tens of thousands of years of South China Sea civilisation: prehistoric artefacts from Luobi Cave, shell-mound relics, Li brocade weaving implements, Tanka fishing and hunting tools, Song and Yuan dynasty Maritime Silk Road porcelain, and deep-sea exploration models. Physical objects, interpretive panels, multimedia installations, and immersive scene reconstructions weave together an experience that balances scholarly depth with sensory warmth. Before the display cases, a freshly unearthed — or rather, freshly raised — collection of underwater porcelain commands the crowd's attention: Song dynasty celadon carved bowls with a restrained, inward warmth; Yuan dynasty qingbai (blue-white) impressed powder boxes of exquisite delicacy; and Ming dynasty blue-and-white bowls adorned with intricate, swirling motifs. These precious cultural relics, brought together for their first concentrated public showing, draw visitors to lean in close, tracing the pulse of history through the interplay of glaze, colour, and incised line.

In a bid to bring cultural heritage closer to everyday life, the event introduces an innovative "exhibition by day, experience by night" model, with doors staying open until 9 PM daily. From May 17 to 23, seven hands-on social education programmes run in rotation: an intangible cultural heritage paper-clay sculpture workshop led by master artisans, transforming waste paper into marine-inspired artworks; an immersive Tanka cultural experience, threading Tanka folk songs through the story of a fishing community that has lived by the sea for generations; plus marine conservation science sessions, shell handicraft workshops, time-capsule drift-bottle activities, and a seven-day stamp-collecting rally — all complemented by maritime-themed cultural merchandise that adds a touch of surprise to every visit.

Zhao Changsheng, Director of the Sanya Public Cultural Center and a senior official with the Sanya Municipal Bureau of Tourism and Culture, described the event series as a landmark effort in revitalising South China Sea cultural heritage and advancing the deep integration of culture and tourism. "This is both a practical vehicle for transmitting our maritime civilisation and a vivid platform for promoting cultural exchange and mutual appreciation," he noted. Looking ahead, the Sanya Museum will accelerate construction of its new building, steadily expanding the reach and impact of the city's cultural heritage work, so that more members of the public can share in the fruits of maritime cultural development.

Reported by Li Yanmei for Sohu Culture.