In the exhibition “The Ultimate South China Travel Guide – Canton” staged last year, we experimented with the pioneering idea of curating an exhibition in the style of a travel guidebook, in which historical information in art works in our Historical Pictures collection was unveiled to reflect the golden era of China trade and the history of “export art” during the Qing dynasty. The scale of the exhibition restricted us to consideration of the pre-Opium War (1839) period. The exhibition was very well received and triggered some questions: our audience were particularly curious to know what happened after the Opium War. Some even requested a follow-up “Travel Guide” that focused on the changes of interest to travellers, as well as the evolution of export painting in that post-war period.

We have listened to our audience. An upcoming exhibition, “The Ultimate South China Travel Guide – Canton II (The Last Episode)”, will cater specifically to the needs of foreign travellers in South China from the middle to the end of the 19th century, when China was in regular conflict with western powers. Tips and information crucial to travelling in the region will be detected and unlocked from art works selected mostly from our Historical Pictures collection. The exhibition consists of about 50 oil paintings, watercolours, sketches and prints.