The opening ceremony of the exhibition “From Lorient to the Orient - Port Cities of China and France on the 18th Century Maritime Silk Route”, organized by the Macao Museum under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be held at 6:00pm on Friday 29th May, 2015 in the lobby of Macao Museum. The exhibition running from 30th May to 30th August, 2015 on the 3rd floor of the complex is one of the pre-eminent exhibitions to be presented by the 26th Macao Arts Festival and Le French May, with all welcome.

The items on display on this occasion are from both the Macao Museum and on loan from various museums in France, including the the Musée de la Compagnie des Indes - Ville de Lorient, Musée des Arts décoratifs – Département Mode et Textile (Paris), Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Musée de la Toile de Jouy (Jouy-en-Josas), Pierre Frey (Paris), Tassinari & Chatel, Manufacture de soierie à Lyon, France e The Peninsula Hong Kong. Textiles, costumes, oil paintings, prints, porcelain and moulds are showcased, presenting the development history of Lorient and the Maritime Silk Route between China and France at that time.

Lorient is a port situated in the Northwest of France on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. During the 16th and 17th Century, textiles and porcelain were exported to Europe in massive amounts; King Louis XIV of France established the French East India Company in the 17th Century to compete for the trading market with other European countries in order to strengthen the competitive forces of France.

Prior to 1713 the initial business of the French East India Company was disappointing, following which it experienced a turnaround to rapidly develop; its trading route even extended to major Chinese coastal cities which exported silk, tea and porcelain. The prosperity of the Eurasian maritime trade resulted in the widespread mutual influence of the East and the West in terms of culture, art, religion and life. Chinoiserie became popular in Europe at the same time, extensively influencing French art works and daily commodities; these items became the products of cultural exchange between the East and the West.

In order to deepen visitors’ understanding of the exhibition’s content a short animated film will be shown in tandem with the exhibition to introduce the history of Lorient. Two lectures will also be delivered, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm and from 4:15pm to 5:15pm on 30th May 2015 at Macao Museum Auditorium, Brigitte Nicolas, director of the Musée de la Compagnie des Indes de Lorient, will talk about the ‘French East India Company and Trading with China’, while fellow speaker Esclarmonde Monteil, director of Musée de la Toile de Jouy, will talk about ‘The Chinese Pattern on Toile de Jouy’. Both lectures will be conducted in English with Cantonese interpretation. Seats are limited, thus interested parties or organisations are advised to reserve seats as soon as possible. Please contact Ms. Leong at tel.: (853) 8394 1218 during office hours.

The Macao Museum opens daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm (ticket booth closes at 5:30 pm). Please also note that the ticket booth will close at 4:00pm on 29th May 2015 for the preparation of the opening ceremony. For more information about this exhibition and other activities, please call (853) 2835 7911 during office hours or log onto the following websites: www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or www.icm.gov.mo.