Since the first Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Co-operation Meeting held in 2002 and the signing of the Agreement on Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Co-operation in August 2003, a cooperation platform has been established among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for the implementation of cultural and museum projects in various aspects. “A Tale of Three Cities: Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Export of Silk Products in the Ming and Qing Dynasties”, jointly organised by the Guangdong Museum, the HKMoA and the Macao Museum, is held from 2020 to 2023. Following its inaugural run in Guangzhou and second exhibition in Macao, the touring exhibition launch come to its final stop at the HKMoA. With silk exports as its theme, this exhibition featuring a total of 108 sets of artifacts from the collections of the three museums, comprising of 52 sets from the Guangdong Museum, 34 sets from the Macao Museum and 22 sets from the HKMoA. Presenting the landscape of the Greater Bay Area as well as the silk production processes during the period. It explores the significance of China’s silk exports to Europe and other parts of the world, tracing the rich heritage and development of silk production techniques in China.

Facing the South China Sea and leveraging the hinterland of China, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, focusing on the region along the Pearl River estuary, has always been a hub on international trade routes. From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, the region known as Pearl River Delta, with Canton (Guangzhou) at its centre, was an important starting point on the Maritime Silk Road. The historic role of the region as a hub for foreign maritime trade and a meeting point for Eastern and Western civilizations, made the Greater Bay Area the very first gateway for China to engage with the rest of the world and for Western countries to learn about China.

Silk, originating in China, was the first export product connecting China and the outside world. During the Roman Empire period, it was regarded as the costliest luxury good carried along the Silk Road, worth as much as gold. With the increased connectivity of the maritime trade routes during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese silk was shipped all over the world through the Greater Bay Area as an important mass commodity. During this period, silver coins continuously flowed to China, constituting half of the world’s total silver in circulation at the time.

The economy of the Greater Bay Area thrived thanks to the ports that grew up along the open and accessible bay. Its success and changes were closely linked with international trade, as it had a profound impact on the world trade system. The export of silk witnessed the legacy of the handicraft industry and the process of the global integration of trade in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Today, the craftsmanship of silk embroidery continues to flourish and enrich the cultural heritage of the Greater Bay Area, while contributing to the strengthening of the cultural soft power of the region