The Fujian Shimao Maritime Silk Road Museum opens to the public on Jan 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Fujian Shimao Maritime Silk Road Museum, situated in Shishi, Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, opened to the public on Jan 20.

The museum consists of six exhibition halls, including two special halls displaying treasures from the Palace Museum, and one showcasing boutique Maritime Silk Road cultural relics. There is also a multifunctional hall for lectures, two VIP rooms and a Forbidden City Gallery (Quanzhou Branch).

Two themed cultural exhibitions are being hosted at the Palace Museum-themed special halls, and the famous painting Landscape Map of the Silk Road from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) is currently on display. The painting depicts the scenes of numerous cities along the ancient Silk Road such as Dunhuang in China, Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Herat in Afghanistan, Isfahan in Iran and Damascus in Syria.

Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum, said that the establishment of the museum will offer visitors a chance to learn more about the traditional culture of the ancient Silk Road, as well as provide strong support for promoting traditional culture and strengthening people's confidence in Chinese culture.