Guangzhou, the pottery hub

Both Lee and Wang Siyu — a curator at the Museum of Two Mausoleums of Southern Han State in Guangzhou — contend that when it comes to the Maritime Silk Road, Guangzhou has traditionally served as China's main gateway to the rest of the world. Wang, who co-curated the From Central China to the Sea: Gongyi Kiln and the Maritime Silk Road exhibition, says, "Guangzhou is the eastern terminus of the Maritime Silk Route. It has prospered for over 2,000 years as a vital port and commercial hub."

Putting on a show that tells the story of how Guangzhou "emerged as a crucial distribution center for the prized ceramic ware from the Gongyi kilns in Henan province during the Tang Dynasty", at a historic site — itself a treasure chest of archaeological discoveries from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms — adds an extra layer of meaning to the project.