Download Korea National Maritime Museum Special Exhibition Age of Great

Korea National Maritime Museum Special Exhibition
Age of Great Voyage-Hope loading into the wind
Korea National Maritime Museum is holding Age of Great Voyage-Hope loading into the wind to promote
the progressive spirit of challenge of ocean with humankind. Also, it aims to reflect on the roles of new
leaders in the Age of Great Voyage in the 21st century.
□ Exhibition overview
Over 600 years ago the world saw the beginning of a new movement in history sprouting everywhere on the
seas across the globe.
China wishing to show off its might to the outside world drew up an unprecedented plan of great expeditions
in human history. The Western Europeans in pursuit of more advanced civilizations and the wealth of the
East overcame their fears of the oceans and launched their ships to the seas of Asia.
The will of the people who lived in the 15th century drove the navigators to unfurl their sails and move ahead
into uncharted waters. We call this period of time the Age of Great Voyage that is symbolized by the spirit of
challenge and passion of the people in search of new sea routes. These people living in the Age of Great
Voyage connected continents through sea routes and led the cultural exchanges between the Eastern and
Western civilizations.
This exhibition was designed to promote that spirit of challenge and initiative for humanity to move ahead in
the open seas and share moments to think about our roles to lead a New Age of Exploration for the 21st
century.
The exhibition is comprised of the following sections.
The prologue describes the will of the people who tried to explore new sea routes.
Section 1: Introduces the Chinese Ming dynasty which wanted to show off its marine power of the world.
Section 2: Tells the story of Western Europe in the Middle Ages and their wish for a more prosperous life.
Section 3: Helps modern people think about building on these examples for the future.
We hope visitors will be inspired by what they learn and see while they look around the exhibition about the
passion and romance of the seas.
□ Contents
Section 1. Hope of the Ming dynasty
In the early Ming dynasty Emperor Yongle, the third emperor of the dynasty, attempted to bring stability to
the country by implementing policies to firmly establish the imperial system internally and show off its
power and might externally. The great voyage of Zheng He was part of the efforts to achieve these goals.
In 1405, Emperor Yongle commissioned Zheng He to lead the great voyage.
“Zheng He, on my behalf, you will command the fleet and go to the south sea. There you will visit many
countries and establish the Ming dynasty’s presence.”
The decision made by Emperor Yongle to go to the sea was a bold trial in founding cooperative relationships
with the wider world. The traditionally agricultural society of China had dreamed of becoming a marine
power for the first time.
<Main exhibition items>
Zheng He treasure ship (Command ship); Zheng He’s fleet
Zheng He’s feet was made up of the largest wooden vessels ever built at that time. The fleet was
comprised of about 200 wooden vessels, among which 60 treasure ships carried their treasures in
the center surrounded by about 100 smaller vessels. The largest treasure ships are known to carry
about 600 passengers and were 125m (410 ft.) in length and 50m (164 ft.) in width, the largest
vessels made by humans at the time.
The fleet was divided by function such as carrying horses and cargo, food, and fresh water. Some
of the ships were used for battle command and logistics with smaller battle ships under their
command.
Korea's first world map
(1402/ Honilkangriyeokdaegukdojido, 混一疆理歷代國都之圖)
Strategy manual of Ming dynasty (1621/ 武備誌)
Blue and white porcelain of Ming dynasty (15c)
Section 2. Hope of the Europeans in the Middle Ages
Pepper was a tool to show off one’s social status and a symbol of desire in the 15th century Europe. This
precious item imported from East Asia was the source of wealth for Europeans in the Middle Ages. The
trading center of Europe was the Mediterranean Sea in the early 15th century. However, when the Ottoman
Turks occupied Constantinople in 1453, the center of the Mediterranean trade, the countries in the region of
the Mediterranean Ocean had to explore a new path to purchase pepper from East Asia. The desire of
importing pepper resulted in finding new sea routes, which was the goal of Portuguese royal prince Henrique.
<Main exhibition items>
※
Treaty of Tordesillas (Tratado Tordesillas )
※ It will be introduced in video.
The Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between Spain and Portugal at Tordesillas in 1494 with an aim
to resolve disputes over the ownership of newly discovered lands. The treaty set a demarcation line.
The lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west would belong to
Spain. The two countries responsible for opening the era of the Great Voyages divided the world in
half.
At that time, the King of Portugal did not show much interest in Magellan's voyage. However, Spain
sponsored Magellan's exploration in order to find a new sea route since it could not use the existing
sea routes, sailing around Africa, to reach India due to the Treaty of Tordesillas.
Cross Staff(直角器), Back Staff(後測儀)
Astrolabe(17c /圓測儀), Nocturnal(1588)
World map based on Ptolemy
Cantino World Map(1501~1502)
Monnus’s portulan(1619)
Section 3. New ocean routes and our challenge
New concepts are being made about sea routes today. Humanity has pioneered the unknown world and is
creating a new history through new concepts of sea routes such as the navigation of the deep sea, the Polar
Regions, and space.
The Polar Regions
The Polar Regions both Arctic and Antarctic are part of the limited area remaining unexplored on earth. It is
the optimal place to study the environmental change of the earth and a treasure of natural resources for the
future. Countries from around the world dispatch their researchers to the scientific bases in the Polar Regions
to conduct studies in a variety of fields such as climate, environmental change, and underground resources.
Deep sea
Advanced marine science and technology now allow for deep sea exploration and the beginnings of
revealing the unknown world. The deep sea has an abundance of bio and energy resources that are
unavailable on the surface. It is recognized as the area for research and development with an aim to make our
lives better.
Space navigation
Space exploration is being conducted with mixed feelings of hope and fear. Over the past 50 years, people on
earth have gained an unprecedented amount of information about our solar system, galaxy, and beyond.
Plans are being formulated to make great progress for humanity.
□ Exhibition Guide
○ Title: Age of Great Voyage-Hope loading into the wind
○ Period: 2016.5.31~ 8.28
○ Hours: Tuesday ~ Friday 09:00~18:00
Saturday 09:00~21:00 / Sunday 09:00~19:00 / * The Museum is closed on Mondays.
○ Venue: Special Exhibition Hall (2F), Korea National Maritime Museum
○ Admission Fee: Free
○ TEL: +82-51-309-1900
※ Events in line with Exhibition
<Lecture for Maritime Museum College Students>
- Subject: Age of Great Voyage
- Period: 2016.6.9.~7.28. (6..9 / 6.16 / 6.23 / 6.30 / 7.7 / 7.14 / 7.21 / 7.28)
- Venue: Auditorium(1F), Korea National Maritime Museum