The Landscape Map of the Silk Road is a map that was drawn on a silk handscroll in blue and green landscape painting style. The map, which is about 30 metres long and 0.6 metres wide, was once held in other countries. Finally, Mr Hui Wing Mau acquired the map and donated it to The Palace Museum. According to researchers, the map was an imperial painting that belonged to the Jiajing Emperor in the Ming dynasty. It named over 200 cities, ranging from Jiayu Pass, Gansu province, in the east, to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in the west. This implies that the Chinese had grasped clear understanding of the Silk Road in the 16th century.

In light of the great historical value of the Landscape Map of the Silk Road, the exhibition will display the entire 30-metre-long map and bring to life the everyday activities of people who lived along the Silk Road through vivid animations. You can also learn about the features of the blue and green landscape painting style and design your own painting of Hong Kong in the same style. Through interactive exhibits and models, you will learn about the tools and techniques used in ancient Chinese and modern cartography. The exhibition will also display various China maps and Hong Kong maps drawn in the 16th to 20th centuries, allowing you to appreciate both Chinese and Western perceptions of the geography of China and the various functions of maps.