The picturesque island of Corfu is known for its turquoise waters, its golden beaches, and... its museums. It is on this island where the Museum of Asian Art hosts one of Europe's largest Chinese art collections on display.
The museum was founded in 1928 following the donation of Gregorios Manos's collection to the Greek state. The current collection comprises approximately 15.000 works of Asian art from private collections and individual item donations
The ongoing exhibition is diverse in genre and made from various materials. They include different forms of art, such as sculptures, ornaments, calligraphy, and paintings. Although hosted in a country with an already rich history, more and more Greeks are visiting the museum.
There are artifacts with carvings on stones and porcelain vases, some of the artifacts in this museum date back to the Neolithic period. There is no place like it in Greece and very few in Europe that display so many rare artifacts from China.
A suit of Samurai armour and a lacquer snuff-bottle from the Qing dynasty./Corfu Museum of Asian Art
"The Chinese section of the museum is one of the largest exhibits here, at about 3,500 pieces, and that's only from a single donor, and from time to time, more people donate artifacts, with the latest being porcelain vases," said Despina Zernioti, Head of the Museum of Asian Art.
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The museum is located about 500 kilometers north of the Greek capital on the island of Corfu.
The exhibition unfolds the history of China, from the Xia Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, some 6,000 years of culture depicted by statues, pieces of pottery, and brass works of art. They are among some of the oldest pieces in the world.
Moulded white earthen ware from the Tang dynasty in the 8th centrury makes up part of the display./Corfu Museum of Asian Art
The museum welcomes thousands of visitors each year. It allows them to travel through time to admire the collection. But wherever you turn your head here in Greece, you travel back in time, as the country is filled with remnants of ancient Greece or Medieval times.
So what attracts Greeks to visit the museum? According to archeologists it is the bond between two ancient civilizations.
"We have seen an increase in attendees, mostly from Greece," Zernioti explains. "Teachers bring students here for educational purposes, as we offer that service - teaching people about Chinese culture and history through art. After all, these two civilizations have a strong bond that connects them. Two ancient civilizations from the west and the east."
During COVID-19, the museum continued to operate as it offered a virtual reality tour for its guests. Although the economic recovery is taking longer than expected, the management at the museum is hopeful for the future.
The collection has seen governments come and go, wars won and lost, natural disasters, and even health crises so it should outlast this latest challenge.
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